An Ocean Sized Love
by harronhermy
Summary: For sixteen years, Kiyah lived the pampered life of a noblewoman. Now, her life becomes a horrific mix of betrayal, lies, and pain...but with the company of a hotheaded, exiled prince, she falls into an adventure that will affect the fate of the world...and her heart. Edited and co-authored with darkdaysofsummer. Adventure/Romance. Zuko/OC. Under construction as of: 9/14/12
1. Prologue -- Leaving Home

An Ocean Sized Love by harronhermy

Chapter I: Prologue/Leaving Home

Prologue:

Some years ago...

The stone palace was eerily quiet. The moon shone through the massive windows in the hall, shadowing the elegant window panes and the tall, skinny cherry blossom trees that lined the courtyard. A lone mouse stood in the middle of the hall, sniffing around for something tasty to take back into its nest. The mouse skittered across the expensive rug when it heard a sound – the first sound to cause it to prick up its tiny ears in hours – this was the sound of slippers quickly and quietly clacking on the stone floor about a room away. The mouse froze to the spot, trying to decide whether or not this noise meant danger.

As if out of nowhere, a small figure appeared in the hall, sending the mouse scurrying back into its hole. The figure moved its head slowly from side to side and then proceeded to cross the room quickly, staying hidden in the shadows as it went. Once on the other side of the room, the figure stepped into the bright moonlight, listening: A nervous, older looking woman stood under the largest window in the room, a scrap of parchment clutched in her fist.

After checking her surroundings once more, the woman backed into the wall and walked briskly through a set of stone arches and into the next room.

She moved as silently as she knew how. If she were to be caught outside of her quarters at this time of night, she would surely be punished. To her, the task at hand was worth any amount of whippings, though. Her simple life wasn't worth as much as those she was trying to protect.

She noticed how the plan had gone without fail so far, and prayed to the spirits to keep it that way. The one she was supposed to meet was pacing in the corner, exactly where she'd been told to meet him. Wordlessly, the piece of paper passed from her hands to his. They parted with a nod of aknowledgement and went their seperate ways-each for their own purpose. Still silent, though now out of breath, the woman retreated back into her quarters. Only then, did she get her breath back. It was done. Now, she'd just have to see if the risk was worth it.

Sixteen years later...

A soft knock at the door pulled my wandering mind back into reality. I quickly pretended to read the thick book that lay in front of me, just in case the knock were to be my mother or father.

"You may come in." I called, my voice cracking from disuse. I cleared my throat quietly.

The two large doors opened with a soft creak and a male servant with long, dark hair stood in the doorway, bowing to me.

"Good day, my Lady," he greeted, smiling softly. "Her Ladyship requests your presence in the dining hall. She claims that it is urgent."

I nodded and smiled back, closing the book.

"Her Ladyship" was my mother, so I had no choice but to do as she wished. With another flourished bow, the dark-haired servant backed out of the room and closed the doors. I sighed, pushing myself away from the desk where I spent most of my time studying at the will of my father.

I pushed in the chair and made my way down the stone staircase and into the hall where my parents sat.

My mother greeted me with a warm smile, her amber eyes sparkling. She sat on the left hand side of my father, who was seated at the head of the table, a large jeweled goblet of wine in his hand.

"Kiyah, your father and I have some news for you." my mother said with a slight bit of excitement in her voice. "You're -"

"Pack your things," my father said, cutting her off and leaving her with a disappointed look on her pretty face. I opened my mouth in shock, ready to argue, but my mother interjected.

"Osamu, dear, she needs to at least know where she is going." my mother urged. My father nodded, sipping his wine.

My mother turned her gaze to me, her smile back. "Kiyah, darling, a wonderful opportunity has presented itself. Lady Musaki has written to your father, and with her husband and children gone, she has invited you to come and live in the Capitol with her!" she nearly squealed, having to control the tone and volume of her voice.

"Lady Musaki? Who's that?" I asked, confused.

"How can you not know of Musaki, you idiot girl?" my father asked, his tone sharp. "She is a very well-off, loved woman in the Capitol, and she will be preparing your for marriage."

"Marriage? Father, I'm barely sixteen! I don't _want_ to be married." I argued, balling my fists at my side.

My father dismissed my words with a wave of his hand. "Silence! The legal age is sixteen, which you are now. You will be married as soon as we can find you an eligible suitor. But no respectable man will take a lady who doesn't act like one." he insulted, glaring at me and making himself look dangerous.

I bit my tongue to keep myself from talking back to him. I found out at a young age that it was not wise to anger my father in the least bit.

"And besides," my father smirked, "what do you really expect to do around here? You're virtually useless. You needn't cook or clean, we have plenty of servants for that. You're a terrible hostess, and your fighting skills are mediocre at best. You must come to terms with the awful truth that all you could ever be good for, is to produce an heir to either a royal or noble family."

Tears filled my eyes. Is that all that I could really be used for? _Breeding_? My father was right.

That was how, two weeks later, I was left staring out of the large window in my bedroom. I'd been awake for hours, contemplating the change before me that was about to take place. A tiny amount of early morning light shone through the large evergreens that lined the snowy mountain that my family's estate perched upon. It was early winter here in the Southern Earth Kingdom, where the colony we lived in was, with the first snows lining bits of the ground.

I sighed loudly, startling Maki, the servant who was elegantly braiding my long auburn hair.

I tried to comfort myself with the fact that at least I would be away from here-away from cruel big brothers, and a father who didn't care about anything at all. Agni, I would miss my mother, though.

"Begging your pardon, mistress," Maki said, as she tucked the last pieces of hair into my braid, "but what exactly is this 'lady training' going to do? Agni knows you're a stubborn one. It'd take a mighty strong man to hold you down."

I was surprised at Maki's straightforward words. But she had a very strong point.

I breathed out in irritance, the air heated slightly. I was a firebender, like my mother, father, and brothers, though my training wasn't nearly as advanced as the men in my family. I only knew the basics -enough to control myself and not start a fire by accident - but I hadn't been trained much in combat.

My mother had been raised in an old-fashioned family that believed women didn't fight, bending abilities or not. Even though she begged and begged my father for me to learn to use my bending, he did not give in. I didn't know whether to be irritated or grateful. I didn't have to endure the long, hard hours of relentless training my brothers went through, but on the other hand, I could just barely defend myself, more out of luck than anything.

My brothers had often used this - as well as my kind-hearted nature, my "weakness" they all called it - against me. We all fought often, with me mostly on the losing end. Thankfully, as we grew older, my brothers spent less time around the estate, and more in the military.

Maki interrupted my thoughts. "Look up", she says. I do so as she applies a thick coating of black liner to my eyes. I try not to grimace. If it were up to me, I wouldn't wear make-up, but my father always demanded it. A "lady" couldn't go without it.

After a bit more pinching, prodding, and brushing, Maki declared me fit to go. Why on earth I needed to look so fine when I'd just be traveling, I didn't know, and I made sure to voice my displeasure all throughout the process.

Maki laughed. "My lady, you must make a good impression on your hosts. A friend of your father's is to escort you. You'll want to look nice for him."

I grumbled, telling her that she was probably right, even though I didn't like it. She laughed again and took my face in her hands, lowering my head so that she could kiss the top of it.

"Sixteen years I've looked after you, my lady. I am truly sad to see you go, but happy to know that your life will be a much happier one once you leave here. I wish you good luck." she said, bringing a smile to my face and tears to my eyes.

"I'll miss you, Maki." I sniffed, pulling the older woman into a hug.

I made my way down the stairs; fur-lined cloak wrapped about my shoulders, while to servants came behind me, bearing my trunk of belongings. I was only taking what I would need for the journey, and my parents were shipping the rest after me.

My parents waited by the massive double doors in the foyer. My mother was dabbing her eyes with a handkerchief and upon seeing me, she nearly ran to me, throwing her arms around my neck. We whispered our goodbyes and "I love yous", and she made her way into the next room, not wanting to see me go.

I walked up to my father.

"Goodbye, daughter." his voice was stiff, like the words were a vile bit of food stuck in his throat that he couldn't swallow.

I nodded to him, then gave a quick curtsey, not wanting to look entirely disrespectful, though I greatly desired to knee him hard in the balls and walk off. I smirked at the thought.

I felt strangely alone when I realized that if I wanted something done from now on, I had to do it myself. I only hoped that Lady Musaki was a nice woman.

Two of the palace's servants escorted me down the rocky mountain path and to the humongous metal vessel below. I thanked them, and they bowed before starting their long walk back up the path. Four Fire Nation soldiers were there at the base of the ship. All wearing metal suits, but no helmets. They too, bowed to me. One of them took my bag, and they all took me aboard the ship. There was hardly a thing on the wooden deck; just barrels, rope, and some chains.

A familiar looking man in high-ranking armor walked briskly toward me, his amber eyes flashing.

"Lady Kiyah," he greeted, bowing deeply, "It is an honor to have you on board with us. I am Commander Zhao, an old friend of your father's." he explained. This man intimidated me slightly, but I didn't let it show.

"Thank you," I smiled, curtseying. "I look forward to travelling with you." I lied.

"You've grown so much," he commented, looking from my head to my boot clad feet. The smile faded from my face.

"I'm sorry, Commander, have we met before?" I asked politely.

"Only once, but that was at your thirteenth birthday ball. I was passing through the area and your father invited me for a drink. We met briefly." he explained, a snakelike smile on his face.

"I'm sorry," I repeated, "I don't recall."

"That's all right," he said softly, almost seductively. I cringed.

"Could you show me to where I'll be sleeping? I'm feeling a bit light headed." I piped up, surprised at the tone of his voice. He nodded and motioned for a solider to come forward.

"Lady Kiyah would like to be shown to her room," he explained, the creepy smile still on his face. The soldier replied "yes, sir", and began walking in the opposite direction. I immediately followed.

"I'll send for you at dinner!" Commander Zhao called after my retreating form.

_Author's Note__: This is an updated and revised version of An Ocean Sized Love, and I really hope that all of you readers enjoy it! More will be coming as soon as I can get it out, and I hope that you'll leave reviews!_

_I would like to thank Darkdaysofsummer for all of her help in writing this fanfic, because I couldn't have done it without her. I am pleased to call her my co-author and editor!_


	2. Chapter 2

he table was laden with all sorts of food: from roast duck to oranges from the Earth Kingdom, this table held it all. Commander Zhao and I talked, mostly about what I was planning to achieve once I got to school in the Fire Nation. "I'm not sure yet," I told him uncertainly, taking a bite of pork. I really didn't know what I wanted to do once I got to the Royal Fire Academy for Girls; maybe make some friends? At the end of dinner, I was feeling very full and sleepy. Commander Zhao was a very nice man, though something about him gave me a strange feeling.

"Kiyah, they're bringing out a lovely custard tart, won't you stay and enjoy it with me?" he asked, patting his mouth with a cotton handkerchief. And of course, I agreed, and made myself comfortable until the cook brought out, as promised, "a lovely custard tart". The custard in the middle was a light yellow with sugar drizzled on it, and the tart around it had been baked golden brown; it looked delicious. Commander Zhao and I ate, talking and laughing occasionally. When I had finished eating all of the tart that I could, I started to feel slightly sick and dizzy. Maybe it was because I wasn't used to being on a ship for so long; so I excused it, bade Commander Zhao goodnight, and walked back to the room where I was staying, stumbling slightly along the corridors.

I reached the room, grabbing my head and falling down very hard on the soft bed. Everything was spinning, I'd never felt like this before in my life, and I didn't like it. Maybe I should alert one of the guards? Yeah, I should, I may be getting sick. I tried my best to get up, but I couldn't move. Panic rose in my chest, and my heart started beating very fast. Was this normal? What was in that tart? I tried to cry out, but nothing would come out of my mouth. But then Commander Zhao came in, and locked the door quietly behind him. Thank goodness! Maybe he'll know what to do.

"Hello, Kiyah," he said darkly, undoing his uniform. What was he doing?

"Your father told me what a shit you are," he smirked, now roughly undoing my tight-fitting dress.

"So..I thought I might teach you a lesson for him. Haven't you learned not to trust anyone?"

My eyes widened in horror, and he must have seen this, because he laughed loudly. He drugged me! A single tear dripped down my right cheek and onto the bed. I was completely naked now, while Commander Zhao only had his pants undone. I knew what he was going to do now; my heart beat faster and faster against my rapidly rising and falling chest. Commander Zhao licked his thin lips and came down close to my face, kissing my forehead. I cringed, closing my eyes tightly as he kissed down my pale chest, onto my stomach, and finally my privates. Another tear streaked down my face as he started to do the unthinkable.

I woke the next morning in a room that I hadn't seen before. It was very small, dimly lit, and had bars. I immediately jumped up, screaming at the guard who was standing just outside the bars. He laughed wickedly and ignored my constant cries and cursing. What was I supposed to do? I was a fire bender, not a metal bender. I looked down at the necklace hanging around my neck and ripped it off, breaking the chain. I threw it out through the bars and scooted myself into the corner of the cell. Fucking traitors.

Hours passed and no food or water was brought to me. My stomach growled in hunger, and my throat burned with thirst. I really was all alone in the world, and I most certainly wasn't going to make any new friends at the Royal Fire Academy for Girls, because I'd figured out by now, that I probably wasn't going there. Day turned into night when I finally saw someone other than the guard; Commander Zhao. My stomach cringed, and I had to force myself not to vomit. He spoke with the guard outside of the cell, pulled out a set of keys, and walked in, crouching down to my level. I glared, fire shooting out of my fingertips and warming my whole body.

"Play nicely, or you'll get nothing to eat tonight," he hissed, grabbing my by the hair and marching me out of the cell. I cried out, tugging at his huge arms, trying to free myself. "Stay still!" he commanded, giving me a sharp slap to the face. The place where his hand collided burned, BAD. He'd used fire bending when he slapped me, blistering my skin. I saw light from torches as we reached the deck, it burned my eyes. I screamed at him to let me go, clawing at his face, and singeing his hair. He kicked me down and I landed, very hard, on the wooden deck. It wasn't as cold outside now, we must be very far away from the South Pole by now. The air felt good on my freshly burned skin. I looked around, there was nobody on deck but Zhao and myself.

"Stand!" he demanded, clapping his hands at me. I got to my feet, brushing my knotted hair out of my face. As I looked at Zhao, my hate for him grew stronger. My whole body was starting to tingle when he spoke again, taking a battle stance.

"You and I will fight," he said, motioning for me to take a stance as well.

"And if I win?" I snarled, pulling my hair back into a long braid.

"Then I'll let you go," he smirked. I hated everything about this man, and I was determined to win.

"But if I win," he continued, "You will stay on this ship, and be my slave, until the day you die."

"Agreed," I spat, a large ball of fire erupting from my fingertips.

We fought. He came at me, trying his best to hit me with his fire blasts. I dodged the best that I could, stumbling a few times. I was a pretty good fighter, but I was very weak. I sent fire back at him, kicking as I shot it. He barely moved out of the way in time, his uniform was ablaze. My nostrils flared as I made close contact with him, punching him in his disgusting face and bloodying his nose. He recoiled, punching me back repeatedly, splitting my lip open. He wasn't going to win this. I danced out of his reach, trying my best to tire him out before it was too late. And that's when it happened - a smaller Fire Nation ship was suddenly at the side of this one, guards dressed in uniforms just like the ones on this ship, and a tall, pale boy with black hair, and a large, red burn scar on his left eye. I took my chance, shooting more fire blasts at Zhao and jumping off the side of the ship, leaving him dumbfounded.

The water was very cold. We may be away from the South Pole, but not that far, judging by the temperature of the water. I swam as fast as I could toward the other ship; anything to get away from that horrible man on the one I just came from. I swallowed salty ocean water, making me cough and wretch, but I kept swimming. I looked up onto the largest Fire Nation ship, there was some kind of battle going on between the guards of both ships, the pale boy, and Zhao. At least he wasn't following me. I was so sore from what had happened to me last night, it was a constant reminder of what had happened, not that I could forget that easily. I reached the side of the smaller Fire Nation ship, and I was immediately thrown a rope.

I grabbed on with all the strength I could muster, and I was pulled up easily. Once I was on deck, I laid down on my back, panting with my eyes closed. My sopping wet clothing stuck to my body, and my hair was now matted to my face. Once I opened my eyes to see who had pulled me up, I saw a chubby old man with gray hair and beard, and concern in his amber eyes. I breathed "thank-yous" to him, and he helped me up. He was slightly shorter than I was, but not by much. He put a soft hand on my face, where Zhao had burned me, and shook his head.

"You need medical attention," he said hurriedly, checking the status of the fight on the next ship. I opened my mouth in protest, to tell him that I would be fine, but he pulled me through a door to the side of where we were standing. It was a bright room with a small table and chairs, in the center, and a cabinet hanging on the wall. The old man had me sit down in a chair, even in my sopping wet clothing, and he started pulling bandages and bottles filled with liquid out of the cabinet's doors. I pulled my sopping hair out of my face as he got to work, dabbing my burn and many cuts with the liquid.

"Thank you, so much," I croaked, bowing my head to him. "What is your name?"

"My name is General Iroh," he smiled, shaking my cold hand. The door burst open, and the pale boy from before marched in, looking angry.

"And that..." said Iroh, "is my nephew, Prince Zuko."


	3. Chapter 3

"Uncle! Commander Zhao is in pursuit of the Avatar, just as we are!" he yelled, kicking over the chair next to me. I don't think he even noticed me sitting there. He continued to rant and yell, slamming his fists down on the table, clenching his teeth, and flaring his nostrils, just as I did when I was angry. "You!" he snapped, suddenly rounding on me. "Why were you with him?" he asked, still angry. I gave him a questioning look, slightly annoyed. It's not my fault Zhao was after the Avatar. I took a deep breath and explained everything that had happened; My father sending me to "school", the dinner, what happened after dinner, waking up in the cell, and the fight. Prince Zuko didn't look near as mean as he did before I started my story; he looked almost sympathetic. Iroh was shaking his head again, this time looking very sad.

"I'm very sorry about what has happened to you," Iroh said, looking into my bright green eyes. "And if I may guess...was it Zhao that burned your face as well?" he asked, nodding at my burn, which was tingling from the liquid he had put on it. Prince Zuko was silent, looking in the other direction, away from my face.

"Yes," I answered as my stomach gave a loud growl.

"You must be very hungry. You've been through a lot, and you deserve a hot meal." said Iroh, smiling at the look of happiness on my face.

"Yes, General, I'm starving," I groaned, as my stomach gave another loud growl. General Iroh looked slightly amused, but Zuko on the other hand, still wouldn't look at me. He stood next to the open door with his arms folded across his chest. Did I do something wrong?

"I will gladly get you something to eat from the ship's kitchen. Would you like some tea?" he asked, slowly getting up from the wooden chair he was sitting in.

"Yes, please. I'll take anything that you can give me, I'm not picky." I added the last part quickly, not wanting to sound greedy.

Iroh nodded, smiled, and left the room, leaving Prince Zuko and I alone. I looked at him, still standing in his corner with his arms crossed; he was very handsome. His long black hair was tied into a ponytail at the back of his head; his skin was almost as pale as mine, and absolutely flawless...except for the shiny burn that stood out so vividly around his left eye. I wanted to ask him what had happened, but I decided against it when he turned his head toward me. He opened his mouth to speak, but closed it again. He grunted softly, turning away from me again, and walked out the door. I didn't even know what to think. Maybe he was too angry to speak?

Almost five minutes had passed since Prince Zuko had left the room, when Iroh returned with a metal tray in his arms; there was a large bowl of steaming rice, some vegetables, fresh shrimp, and a pot of tea on it. I immediately smelled the food, my mouth watering as he laid it down in front of me. I thanked him as he poured a cup of tea for me, and began eating. It was delicious, considering I hadn't eaten for almost 24 hours. When I was finished, I noticed how exhausted I was; my eyes itched with tiredness...But I forgot all about that when Prince Zuko came through the door, holding a pile of neatly folded clothes under his arm.

"Here," he grunted, barely looking at me. "Change into these." He handed me the clothing, nodded at his uncle, and walked back out, closing the door behind him.

"Did I do something wrong?" I asked Iroh, looking puzzled. "He won't hardly even look at me." Iroh was silent for a moment, as if debating on whether or not to tell me something.

"It is difficult to explain," he said slowly, scratching his short gray beard. "But I can see that it is bothering you, so I will tell." I nodded, shifting my weight in the chair.

"Prince Zuko has a complicated past...the scar he has on his eye was given to him by his own father - my brother, Fire Lord Ozai. He...embarrassed my brother, and he gave Zuko the scar right before he banished him from the Fire Nation. Now that the Avatar is back, Zuko is trying to capture him to restore his honor. If Zuko captures the Avatar, my brother will accept him again. Prince Zuko believes that you are some sort of...spy for Zhao, who is also looking to capture the Avatar." Iroh finished, bowing his head.

"But I'm not!" I piped up."I swear I'm not!"

"I believe you, I really do." he said, putting a hand on mine. "I do not believe that anyone as kind as you could be a spy for that horrible man."

"I told you what he did to me...why wouldn't Zuko believe that?" I asked, slightly hurt that someone I just met could mistrust me so much.

"I don't know, Kiyah. I do not know."

The next morning I woke to the sun's warmth on my face; it had been a long while since I had been somewhere warm. I slept in what used to be a guard's quarters, in a small comfortable bed. The clothes that Prince Zuko had given me turned out to be his own, and they were slightly big on me. I was brushing out my long hair when I knock came at the metal door. I got up, opened it, and to my surprise, there stood Prince Zuko. He bowed and asked to come inside. When I granted him permission, I was immediately surprised again when he started talking to me in a low, angry voice.

"Who are you?" he snarled in a low voice.

"What?" I asked, extremely confused.

"Who are you?" he demanded, looking me straight in the eyes.

"I'm Kiyah!" I spat back. I knew what he was getting at, and I didn't like it.

"I don't believe you, I think you're with Zhao. You're going to tell him where we're headed as soon as I track down the Avatar!" he yelled, flaring his nostrils.

"Listen, your highness; I want nothing to do with that man, do you understand me?" I growled, balling up my fists and fighting for my self control.

"That's just what you want us to think. You think I'm a fool, but I'm not. How did you really get that burn?" he uttered angrily, pointing at my right cheek.

"Oh, so you think I gave it to myself?" I laughed, holding up my left hand. "Even if I had burned myself, it wouldn't be as big as the one on my cheek. If you'll look properly, you'll see that my hand is a lot smaller!" I screamed. Just looking into his stupid face pissed me off. He was flaring his nostrils, and he had his teeth bared, just like I did. I couldn't take any more of this, or I would seriously hurt him.

I stormed out of the room, slamming the metal door as hard as I could - the force made the walls rattle and echo. I punched the wall in front of me, harder than I had intended to, and recoiled cursing.

Author's Note: I'm sorry that this chapter was so short! I promise that the next one will be much longer and much more interesting. I'd like to thank Agnes 'Scape, TweetleT, pinkfire101, and SweetLi'lDevil13 for reading, favoring, and reviewing my stories. Please tell me anything that would make this series better. xoxo.


	4. Chapter 4

After the short, heated argument between Prince Zuko and I, I walked onto the ship's deck, arms crossed and a sour expression on my face. It was early morning, but the sun was already up, and a thick mist hung in the air. It was somewhat chilly, goosebumps spread up my arms like a wildfire, so I drew Prince Zuko's red and black uniform more tightly around my body. The ship was slowly rocking back and forth on the ocean's calm waves, and the smell of the salty sea water comforted me. The smell of salt reminded me of being back at home, _away_ from my family, down at the beach. There, I would collect light pink shells and bits of blue coral to put in my room.

I sighed, slowly moving over to the ship's edge and biting my lower lip. I always did this when I was angry or upset; it was a bad habit that I'd had since I was younger. My lower stomach was sore, from the unnecessary force that Zhao had used on me two nights ago. Just thinking about what had happened made my stomach lurch and hatred rise in my heart. I would get back at that foul man. How? I wasn't completely sure yet. But I knew that it would be excruciatingly painful for him. He had taken my innocence away from me, and that was something that I could never get back.

I wasn't out on the deck for long when General Iroh found me and invited me to eat breakfast with him. I agreed, hoping that breakfast would take my mind off of the terrible things that I'd been thinking. Iroh lead me to the small room where I had eaten last night, and motioned for me to sit down in one of the wooden chairs. I was thankful that Prince Zuko wasn't in there; one more second with him, and I would go insane.

"Something is troubling you, young firebender." Iroh stated, instead of asked. He was a very wise old man. I sighed, looking away from his face and down at my food.

"I know that you had an argument with Prince Zuko this morning -" he began, but I cut him off.

"How do you know that!" I asked, shocked. General Iroh laughed a deep, throaty laugh and smiled at my puzzled face.

"I believe that the whole ship knows that. It wasn't exactly quiet." Iroh grinned, taking another sip of tea. I laughed. I didn't even think about the _volume_ of the arguement.

"But what I don't know," he added, wiping his mouth, "is what the banging sound that followed the argument was. Did one of you throw something?" he asked. I immediately started giggling, thinking about what I had done.

"No," I snorted, "I punched the wall." General Iroh didn't look surprised, and laughed along with me. I showed him my now slightly swollen right hand, and he took it, examining it.

"I would hate to see what that punch would have done to Prince Zuko." he chortled, turning my injured hand over in his. I smiled, watching Iroh look at my hand.

"It should be fine in a few days. Would you like me to wrap it for you?" Iroh asked, nodding at the cabinet in front of the table.

"If you think that's what would be best for it." I said, pulling my hand back toward me and taking another bite of my rice.

"That I do," he said, getting up and opening the cabinet, "You also need some more ointment on your burn. It is healing quickly." I nodded and smiled as Iroh pulled out the same bottle of clear liquid that he had last night, and a roll of white cotton bandages.

With my hand freshly bandaged, I was sent (with some reluctance) by General Iroh to give Prince Zuko some news about the Avatar. The ship had travelled over 100 miles; another hundred and we would have reached Kyoshi Island. Zuko hadn't emerged for several hours since our argument, and my guess was that he was still in the room where I had slept the night before. I walked down the corridors until I reached the door, which was closed. I knocked softly, and when I got no answer, I opened the door quietly and walked in.

Prince Zuko was sitting in the floor, facing the wall. There were four white candles in front of him, and he looked as if he were meditating. _Well, better not bother him._ I thought quickly to myself, turning to leave. But a voice from Zuko's corner of the room stopped me.

"The only reason you should even be in here...is if you have news on the Avatar's whereabouts." he said in a dangerous voice.

"Your Uncle sent me to give you news, but with your temper, you sure as hell won't like it." I snarled, folding my arms across my chest.

"I can take it, whatever it is." he spat, turning to face me.

"Well, while you've been cooped up in here all day, we've travelled over 100 miles." Zuko's face turned even more sour at this, his mouth twitching at one side.

"Your Uncle and I have looked and looked, but there is no sign of the Avatar; we have no idea where he is."

"WHAT!" he roared. The four flames burning behind him shot to the ceiling in his rage. I raised my arms to protect my face until the fire went back down again. Prince Zuko was breathing heavily, his teeth bared.

"Nothing. Not even a cloud shaped like his bison." I said, forcing myself not to smile at Zuko's rage. He stood up, walked across the room to where I was standing, pushed me out of the way, and walked out the door, cursing under his breath. I stifled my laughter and closed the door behind him.

Zuko wanted to catch the Avatar so badly...when I didn't. The Avatar gave me hope, that terrible men like my Father and Commander Zhao could be taken down. While Iroh and I were looking through long telescopes into the sky and into the mountains we passed, he told me what he had seen of the Avatar. He was a boy of around 12 years old, had a light blue arrow on his forehead, and he rode a large , white sky bison with six legs and an arrow on _its_ forehead as well.

We had stopped at one of the docks on Kyoshi Island late in the afternoon. General Iroh had stated that it was time to stock up with food, fresh water, and to my surprise, he added that he would also lend me some gold pieces to buy myself some clothes that were not Zuko's. I knew that Iroh was a kind man, but not _this_ kind. When handed me a bag filled with money, I hugged him and kissed the top of his head, thanking him over and over.

"It is nothing, young Kiyah, I promise." he said after I thanked him for what seemed like the hundreth time. "You will need basic clothing, such as undergarments, and you will need something that you can train in." I was also excited to know that Iroh would be helping me to better my firebending, in training...with _Zuko_. Maybe I could rough him up a little bit in training, and make it look like an accident. "Oh," Iroh added, walking me down the ship's large metal ramp, "you may want to buy yourself a heavy coat, and some toiletries. I'm sure that you will get tired of bathing in only hot water."

We said our goodbyes, I thanked him again, and I walked off toward the large Island of Kyoshi.

I bought undergarments, lilac, light pink, red, and black sets of clothing, a large coat, a pair of shoes, and a pair of knee-length boots. After paying the little old lady at the counter, I went across the street to a soap maker. He was very nice, and complimented me on my bright green eyes. I bought sweet-smelling lavender oils and soaps from him; (the oils were to dab on my skin after a hot bath.)

By the time I was finished with my shopping, it was dark outside. The moon was half full, and the stars shone brightly around it. I smiled to myself, taking in the beauty around me. I walked back to the docks, my arms laden with clothing and my soaps. I was bowed to by two guards standing next to the ship's large, metal ramp. I smiled slighly, walked up, and crossed the deck, quickening my step as I saw Zuko walk into the little square room where we ate.

I made my way into the bathroom, carrying my new soaps and oils and a new set of clothing. I bathed in the large, porcelin bathtub; the water was hot and felt extremely good on my aching hand. Once I got out, I changed into the lilac set of clothing that I bought at the pants ended at my ankles and were tight-fitting around my tiny hips, but flared out and were poofy starting at my knees. The shirt exposed some of my stomach and chest, coming down in a stylish v-neck. The sleeves were to my elbows, and there was a floral sash that was to be tied around my waist. I brushed out my long, brown hair, and braided it, tucking my side-swept bangs behind my left ear.

Once I got into the small, square room, only Prince Zuko was there, scribbling on a map. He looked up at me, and his jaw dropped. His amber eyes swept over my face, made their way all the way down to my feet, and back to my face again. I furrowed my thin eyebrows, wondering: _What the hell is his problem?_ I sat down, and Zuko cleared his throat and began making x after x on different points of his map. General Iroh came in shortly after I did, to my relief. He broke the tension between Zuko and I, very easily when he started talking about a funny little cabbage merchant down in the market.

The cook came with a large tray of freshly cooked fish in his arms. It smelled amazing, and made my mouth water. He served us, and we hadn't even began eating when he whispered something in Prince Zuko's ear. Zuko's eyes got absolutely huge, and his nostrils flared. The cook hurriedly walked out, and Prince Zuko spoke:

"The Avatar is on Kyoshi Island."


	5. Chapter 5

I gasped and Iroh dropped his chopsticks. The Avatar was on Kyoshi? I had to find him and warn him that Zuko was coming...but how was I going to do that when Zuko sat right in front of me?

"Uncle, ready the rhinos. He's not going to slip away this time." he snarled, walking out of the room. Iroh and I looked at each other, puzzled.

"I suppose I'm going to go and ready the rhinos, then." he said, slowly getting up and looking sadly at his steaming plate of fish and vegetables. I giggled to myself; you didn't have to know Iroh well to figure out that he loved food. I got up, joining Prince Zuko on deck. There were five troops standing in a line in front of him, and he was giving them orders.

"You know what he looks like; you saw him back at the South Pole. Destroy _everything_ if you must, I don't care. We are going to catch the Avatar." he demanded, looking at the emotionless faces of his men. They saluted, all going to get onto the giant rhinos that Iroh was leading from a large, wooden trap door that opened on the floor of the deck. I needed to be a part of this! I needed to keep Zuko from capturing the Avatar, but how?

"Prince Zuko," I piped up, bowing to him. _Maybe if I'm nice, and I ask politely he'll let me go with them._ I thought desperately, straightening back up and looking into his amber eyes. "Could I be of any help?" I asked, trying to look innocent. Zuko surveyed my face, looked away, and said: "Sure."

All seven of us were on the rhinos, riding quickly into the heart of Kyoshi Island. This was _not_ comfortable, and it was giving me the worst wedgie that I'd even had in my life! I grunted uncomfortably, positioning myself differently on the rhinoceros's saddle. Prince Zuko must have heard me grunt, because he looked back at me, smirking. I childishly stuck my tongue out at him and he turned around again, kicking his steed in the sides to make him go faster. _That'll teach him_. I thought sarcastically.

"I want the Avatar _alive_," he commanded to his men as we reached an empty street. Where was he? I needed to find the Avatar before Zuko did, which meant that I needed to do it fast.

"Let's split up and search," I suggested, hoping that he would agree. "We could find him faster that way."

"Yes," he said, turning his rhino around to face the guards and I. "If you find him, take him straight to the ship and lock him in a prison cell. Go." he ordered, and the guards scattered into the street.

"You!" he yelled, as I tried to sneak away from him on foot. "What are you doing? You'll be a lot quicker to find the Avatar on your rhino." he said, looking at me as though I were stupid.

"It's not comfortable for me, Prince Zuko," I gulped, hoping that he hadn't caught onto what I was doing, "I'm much faster on foot, anyway."

"Whatever," he muttered, and he rode off.

I ran around, looking everywhere for the Avatar. Many girls dressed like Avatar Kyoshi ran out into the square to defend their Island. I felt terrible; the guards must have been burning down as many buildings as they could; there was smoke rising in the air, and the flames, though they were a good half-mile away from me, lit up my pale face.

"Dammit!" I yelled aloud, shooting fire into the sky. I ran as fast as I could back to the village, tripping over a large rock on the way. I cursed again, got back up, and started running again. When I got there, it was like nothing that I had ever seen before: There was battle going on between the fan warriors, the guards, and Prince Zuko. And there he was: only about 50 feet away from me...the Avatar.

I sprinted through the battle, dodging all the fire that was being thrown, the tails of the rhinos, and the fans of the female warriors. When I finally reached him, he and the tan skinned girl that he was with, looked at me in alarm and readied their hands for a fight.

"No! I'm not going to hurt you!" I panted, clutching my chest. They lowered their hands and looked at me, clearly puzzled.

"Then what do you want?" snapped the girl, putting her hands on her hips.

"I wanted to—to warn you. That Prince Zuko was going to attack, but I was too late." I sputtered, trying to catch my breath. "I ran from the docks to the beach looking for you, but I couldn't find you."

All three of us dropped to the ground as a huge fire ball shot over our heads. As we quickly made our way back to our feet, a yelled issued from the opposite side of the battle. A boy of about 16 was running toward us, wearing exactly what the fan warriors were, face paint and all.

"We have to get out of here!" he yelled, flailing his arms. "Who is she!" he yelled again, pointing directly at my face.

"No time!" protested the Avatar, ushering his friends toward a great, white sky bison. "Thank you for your help!" he called back to me, as they all ran toward it, climbing onto it's tail. The Avatar yelled something, and the bison lifted off the ground, and began flying in the direction of the moon. _What help? _I asked myself, hanging my head. My long, loose braid slumped over my shoulder and hung limply down to my ribcage.

"Get back to the ship!" Prince Zuko yelled angrily to his men, "don't lose sight of the bison!"

I ran out into the middle of the battle, where Zuko and his guards were retreating back to the Fire Nation ship. I looked around desperately to find the rhino that I had ridden in on, when I was hit in the head by a large, metal fan.

"Ouch!" I stammered, looking to see who had hit me. It was one of the fan warriors who I had seen run straight into battle when Zuko and his men came onto the island. She hit me again, only slightly harder this time. "_Ouch!_ Don't you understand that being hit with one of those things hurts like _hell_?" I spat, annoyed at the pain on the left side of my head. She looked at me, furrowing her brow and lowering her fan. She had obviously figured out that I was no threat to her or her people, and ran off toward Zuko.

But then, out of nowhere, a giant sea serpent came out of the bay, and on it's enormous head, sat the Avatar. From what I could see, he pulled it's whiskers, and it sprayed water out of it's mouth, showering Kyoshi Island with gallons and gallons of water. I looked around, and fires all around me were being put out. I smiled to myself and ran off toward the ship.

Once I was on board, we immediately set sail again. Zuko had an extremely bad temper, and was constantly pacing the deck. I joined Iroh to finished my dinner from earlier. I heated my fish and vegetables again with steam from my nose. General Iroh applauded, and poured me a cup of tea. After I finished eating, I bathed and went into the room where I slept, brushing out my hair and getting ready to rest.

Once I laid down, I immediately fell into an uneasy sleep. My dreams were filled with burning buildings and screaming people. General Zhao slithered through my nightmares like the snake that he was, and then came my father. His eyes were cold and emotionless like normal. I was in front of him and in shackles, chained to the floor at his feet. He raised a large, pointed axe, and I screamed before it hit the back of my neck with a sickening crack.

"Wake up! You're just having a bad dream! _Wake up_!" I jumped and gasped, opening my eyes to see Prince Zuko hovering in front of my face, his eyes only inches from mine. He pulled his amber eyes away from mine and sat at the end of my bed, looking sour. I sat up in my bed, wiping sweat from my face and breathing in rapid bursts.

"How did you know I was having a bad dream?" I asked, wiping a single tear from my cheek.

"How did I know?" he croaked, shifting his weight on my bed. "You were screaming." I was silent, and looked down, ashamed of myself. Had I really?

"What were you dreaming about, anyway?" he asked hatefully, narrowing his eyebrows. I didn't answer immediately, not wanting to share _anything_ personal with Zuko. But I needed to get it out, and I drew a breath as I readied myself to tell the story. I told him everything: the fires, the people, Zhao, and my father. I told him that I felt crazy and ashamed, and that what I had seen on Kyoshi Island had really bothered me. I expected him to smirk and me and laugh at everything that I had said, but he didn't. Prince Zuko had a slight look of sympathy in his brilliant amber eyes. Even though he was turned away from me, I saw it reflected in the candlelight. We were both silent for a while; I shifted uncomfortably under my blankets and sighed.

"I'm sorry," he said, still looking away from my face. "I know what it's like...you know, to have those dreams. I've been banished from the Fire Nation...for two years now. I've seen the effects of the war, and some of the most terrible things that you could imagine. I have them every night." When he finished, he looked into my eyes and smiled slightly. Was Prince Zuko actually being _nice_? I think he was.

"It's almost morning...you should get some sleep." he said softly, getting up off of my bed.

"Aren't you going to go back to sleep?" I asked, furrowing my brow. Zuko looked at me, before walking closer and said: "No. I'm going to search the sky for the Avatar."

I pulled my blankets back and got out of bed. I stood there, in front of Prince Zuko for what seemed like ages. Our eyes were locked for a split second, and he looked away, staring back at the floor.

"Then I'm coming with you," I whispered.

**Author's Note: Dearest readers, I would greatly appreciate it if you would review my stories! I need all of the help and inspiration that I can get, lol. Thank you all for being supportive and favoring my story. Message me if you have any ideas, and I'll put it into consideration. :D**


	6. Chapter 6

"No," Zuko said, looking into my face again. "You need to sleep."

"Why not?" I asked, confused, "Did I do something wrong?"

"No..." he began, dropping his eyes to the floor, "I just don't think it would be a good idea for you to come on deck with me."

"_Why not_?" I asked again, getting irritated at him. He was silent for a few seconds, still looking at the wooden floor beneath our feet.

"Because Zhao's ship has been following our trail all night, and I don't think it would be a very good idea for him to know that you're on board." he looked up at me, his eyes narrowed, "Just because I came down here to shut you up doesn't mean I trust you." he spat, turning his back to me. Well, I thought he cared there for a minute, but I guess I was wrong.

"Fine!" I snapped, sitting down on the bed harder than I had intended to, making it creak in protest. Sure, it wasn't a good idea for me to be on deck with Zhao pursuing us, but there was no need to add in that last part. Wait...didn't I, just hours before, sneak away from Zuko to try and warn the Avatar of his presence? Yes. Zuko may not trust me, but I had to admit; even though he had no idea what I had done on Kyoshi Island, he had a reason not to.

Zuko sighed angrily and walked out of the room, closing the door quietly behind him. I uncrossed my legs and sat against the wall, burying my face in my hands. He was so hateful, _all_ the time! I understood that it happened every once and a while on a bad day, but did he constantly have a large, wooden stick up his ass? He was so determined to find and capture the Avatar, that he never had anything else to think about. No time for fun or - wait a minute; fun. Zuko was deprived of fun! Tomorrow I would try my best to get him to play some sort of game with me; whether it was fire tag or checkers. Maybe then he would loosen up a tiny bit. I laid back in my bed and pulled the blankets up to my chin, smiling to myself.

The next morning, I woke to the sound of my door locking loudly from the outside and paper being shoved violently under it. I immediately threw the blankets off of me and dove into the floor. They couldn't possibly be locking me in here! No, this couldn't happen. I was _not_ their prisoner. And then I remembered – the paper. I picked it up, unfolded it, and read:

"_Kiyah, Zhao is on board. I locked the door; he does not need to see you. I will be back to let you out as soon as he is gone. -General Iroh"_

Fire shot out of my nose in small wisps like smoke. Zhao was on board? But for what? And why keep me away from him, when all I wanted to do was rip him limb from limb? Oh, right. That was probably a good reason.

I changed out of my sleep clothes and into light pink knee-length pants, and the matching shirt, which exposed my tight stomach and thin arms. I slipped on my shoes and sat down in front of the small mirror that was hanging on the wall next to the window. I brushed out my shiny auburn hair and separated it into large pieces, leaving my side-swept bangs to lay on my forehead. I loosely braided my hair, going as slowly as I could, trying to pass the time. When I had finished, I sighed impatiently, and started pacing the room. From one corner to the other and back again. I stopped at the small bamboo table and grabbed the small purple bottle of lavender oil. I gently twisted off the cork lid and sat it back down on the table. I put my index finger over the small opening and turned the bottle upside down, letting the sweet-smelling oil coat the tip. I dabbed a small bit on my neck and wrists and screwed the cork lid back on. I rubbed my wrists together and then moved to rub in the oil that sat on my neck.

Suddenly the door snapped open, and I jumped forward, both fists raised. Once I saw General Iroh standing there, I lowered them, feeling slightly foolish.

"Kiyah, there is something that you need to know, and now," he said, looking alarmed. "Come with me." He motioned for me to follow him up the stairs and into the very familiar square room where we ate. Prince Zuko sat at the scrubbed wooden table, looking absolutely furious. He didn't look up when Iroh and I walked in.

"Kiyah, you are in danger," began Iroh, sitting down and motioning for me to do the same.

"Why?" I asked, furrowing my brow, "What happened?"

"When your father sent you off with Admiral Zhao-" I cut him off.

"Admiral? He's been promoted?" I asked in disgust.

"Unfortunately, yes," said Iroh, wrinkling up his face, "Anyway, when your father sent you with Admiral Zhao, he...he intended for Zhao to kill you." he said sadly, hanging his head.

"What!" I screamed, fire shooting out of my mouth and nose. Iroh and Zuko shielded their faces with their arms.

"Not only did he lie to me, but he wanted me _killed_? Why?" I demanded in a deadly whisper. Both of them were silent. After a few seconds, Zuko looked up, his eyes narrowed.

"Because you are an embarrassment to him, just like I am to _my_ father," he whispered angrily.

"He wants me dead because I embarrass him?" I growled, slamming my fist down on the table.

"Your father is not happy with Zhao for losing you, and he will be severely punished unless he brings proof of your death to your father," Iroh added in disgust. Anger swelled inside of me like never before; I grinded my teeth and flared my nostrils.

"Perhaps it is time for some training," suggested Iroh, getting up quickly, "It may help you get rid of some of that anger."

I nodded and got up, making my way out onto the deserted deck. Zuko and Iroh followed me, taking their places next to me. Zuko stood in front of me, 10 feet away, while Iroh sat down on a barrel, ready to give us instruction.

"Kiyah, I need to see what you are capable of. You will battle Prince Zuko for a short time so that I can observe." said Iroh loudly, over the roar of the sea. Zuko and I nodded at Iroh, looked back at each other, his amber eyes locked on my green ones. I raised my hands in front of me, bending one knee forward. Zuko did the same, only he bent further down. He smirked that smirk I knew only too well by now, and I did nothing in return, only thinking about how perfect his form was.

"Very good, both of you. On the count of three, you may begin." said Iroh, obviously amused at what was about to happen.

"One," shouted Iroh. Zuko lowered himself, still smirking, ready to pounce.

"Two." I tucked my long bangs behind my ear and readied myself to jump out of the way.

"Three!" Zuko immediately shot flames at me, and I cartwheeled twice, moving myself out of the way. I resumed my form, and kicked out at Zuko, sending fire at him with my feet. He dodged, jumping over the dancing flames. I ran up to him, punching him repeatedly in the chest, making him lose his breath. I danced away from him as he recoiled, sending more fire my way with his clenched fists. This was beginning to get fun, and was great at taking my mind off of my despicable father's plan for me. I smirked back at Zuko for the first time, dodging the flames by quickly sinking to the ground into a split. Zuko looked dumbfounded, and ran toward me as I jumped up, catching me in the shoulder with his fist. "Ouch!" I laughed, punching him back. His smirk was back, and he lifted me up over his shoulders and threw me down again. I barely caught myself and rolled out of the way of his incoming foot.

Iroh applauded and laughed, saying: "That's enough, that's enough." Zuko helped me up and pushed me away from him playfully,still smirking. We were both panting heavily and very red in the face from the fight. We made our way to Iroh, who was still chuckling to himself on the barrel.

"You both did very well, now let's get something to eat, I'm starving," he said, getting up to go and alert the cook.

Zuko looked over at me, still panting slightly, and he actually..._smiled._ "Where in the world did you learn to fight like that?" he asked, leaning up against the barrel that Iroh had been sitting on.

"Well," I said, wiping my sweaty face on a cotton towel that he handed me, "Growing up with two older brothers might have been the cause. I'm a lot smaller than them, and they used to pick on me a lot. So when I started shooting fire back at them, punching them back, and kicking them back, they stopped." I giggled at the look on Zuko's face. He looked slightly...impressed. I started walking off toward the square room to meet Iroh when Zuko's hand caught my shoulder, turning me back around. He looked down, away from my face like he always did,and he was _blushing_ slightly. I furrowed my eyebrows, wondering what this might be about.

"Look," he said, looking up into my face again, "I'm sorry about what I said last night. After hearing everything that you said...come out of Zhao's mouth...I just wanted to let you know...that I believe you. I guess you could say that I, uh, trust you now." he said this all very quickly, as though ashamed that he hadn't believed me in the first place. I smirked at him, pulling my fallen bangs behind my ear again.

"It's about time."


	7. Chapter 7

About two weeks had passed since mine and Zuko's battle; the day that he told me that he trusted me. We had become close enough to tease and taunt the other, but he always had a look of longing in his eyes when we touched, even slightly. I overlooked this and tried to calm the burning feelings that I had for him; they had risen like the flames inside of me when I was angry, but they were much harder to control. I couldn't let _him_ know this, though. He would make fun of me; possibly even become disgusted.

The ship was docked at a small Earth Kingdom island, where we had stopped to stock up with more supplies. Zuko, Iroh, and I walked into the village, picking out fruits and vegetables, while two guards went to the fish market for fresh fish. Zuko and I went into a sword shop, gawking at all of the deadly blades that were hanging on the wall.

"Look at that one, Kiyah!" He was pointing at a large, ruby encrusted sword very high on the wall.

"I'm more interested in _these_," I smirked, crouching down to look at the wooden case full of knives. I had never been very good with a sword, they weighed me down. But knives were just my speed; tiny and dangerous, just like me.

"Whoa," mocked Zuko, scoffing at the tiny knives, "One of those could do some real damage," he said sarcastically, putting on a face of pretend horror, "I would hate to see someone coming at me with that little thing; I might wet myself!" We laughed and I pushed him away from me, causing him to stumble into the wall, almost knocking off several swords.

"You break it, you buy it!" grunted the shopkeeper from behind the counter. Zuko glared at me, then half-smiled, punching me in the shoulder. The shopkeeper looked at me, tilting his balding head.

"Aren't you the girl on the wanted poster?" he asked uncertainly, squinting his eyes at me. My heart leapt, and I started to speak, but Zuko was already on it.

"You must have her confused with someone else," he spat, narrowing his eyes angrily, "you need your eyes checked, if you ask me." And without another word, Zuko quickly ushered me out of the shop.

"Wanted poster?" he whispered angrily as we hurriedly walked up the street to find Iroh. "Zhao must really want to find you; that bastard." he added the last part with nothing but pure hate in his voice. Now that Zuko and I were friends, we talked a lot. He had once asked me about what Zhao had done to me, and I told him. When I was finished, he looked extremely angry and upset. Zuko now hated Zhao as much as I did.

We looked all over the village for Iroh, but he was nowhere to be found. We walked back into the busy little village square, and glued to a large tree, there it was: my wanted poster. In the photo, I was wearing a long, floral kimono that tightly hugged my hips and stomach. My auburn hair was on top of my head in a tight bun with long, loose curls hanging down on either side of my face The photo of me had a very blank expression. It looked like me..._too_ much like me. Zuko ripped it down and read aloud:

"Wanted by The Fire Nation: Kiyah Chung. Chung has gone missing from a Fire Nation Ship's holding cell, where she was being taken to a high security prison. She is considered extremely dangerous and is a practiced fire bender. Please contact the Fire Nation guards in your village or town if you have any information about this girl."

"This is messed up," I muttered angrily. "They didn't even tell the truth!"

"Did you expect them to, Kiyah?" asked Zuko, shaking his head. "Let's go and find my Uncle; he should be around here somewhere."

"Let's look in the woods," I suggested, pointing to the tall trees and reeds that lined the village.

"Good idea," agreed Zuko, and he ripped up my wanted poster and lead me into the forest.

We'd been walking for at least a half hour; and when Zuko saw no sign of his Uncle and the reeds and trees started getting thicker, he began shouting his name. "Uncle, where are you?" he called, cupping his hands around his mouth to amplify his voice. "Uncle Iroh?"

"Uncle Iroh! It's time to leave! Where are you?" he yelled, frightening a turtle duck out of a bush.

"Uncle Iroh, where are you?" he called again. We were both getting very frustrated in not finding him; frustrated and worried, that is.

"Over here!" answered a muffled voice to our left. Zuko and I looked at each other and ran to find him.

Once we reached him, all that we saw were his clothes hanging on a nearby tree, and the General sitting in a large, rock tub, filled with water. The water was steaming and looked very warm.

"Prince Zuko! Kiyah! Join me, I heated the water myself," he added proudly, putting his hands together and breathing steam out of his nose, warming the water further.

"Uncle, we need to leave now! There's a wanted poster with Kiyah's name on it, and one of the shop owners recognized her!" said Zuko impatiently.

"Nobody is going to get Kiyah with us around," smiled Iroh, leaning back in the rock tub.

"Come on! We need to go!" yelled Zuko. Iroh sighed and began standing up in the tub. Both Zuko and I gasped, and he covered my eyes. I giggled as Zuko said:

"Alright, take another few minutes. But hurry back to the ship, or I'm leaving without you."

Iroh sank back into the tub, looking very happy. "Ahhhh." he sighed, as we walked away.

15 minutes later, Zuko and I walked back to the spot where Iroh had previously been, but there was no Iroh to be found.

"Uncle! Uncle, where are you?" yelled Zuko, annoyed.

"Maybe he's on his way back to the ship?" I implied, shrugging my tiny shoulders.

"No...something's very strange here." muttered Zuko, scouting the area.

"Look!" he said suddenly, pointing at the rock bath where Iroh had been. I had just noticed: there were new rocks there now, the projectiles imbedded into the side. Zuko and I looked at each other, confused. "Earthbenders." we said together.

We ran back through the woods, stopped to walk casually through the village, and ran up the metal ramp to the ship. Zuko informed his men of the situation while I led two war rhinos from beneath the deck; they seemed very eager to be let out to exercise. Zuko and I rode the rhinos around the village, hoping not to be seen by the townsfolk and raising more attention to me. We followed the trail from the site of the rock bath for a while, and Zuko stopped his rhino quickly and easily, sliding off of its large back. I stopped my rhino as well, getting on my knees to pull out and enormous wedgie.

"What have you found?" I asked, nodding my head at what he had just picked up from off of the ground. He turned around as I sat back down on the rhino's back and held up a sandal. I watched as he put it to his nose, smelled it, and recoiled, pulling it as far away from his face as possible.

"Yep," he coughed, fanning air away from his nose, "that's Uncle Iroh." I laughed as he tucked the sandal into his bag and climbed back onto his rhino.

"Come on, this way!" he shouted, more at the rhino than me. We rode at a run for about five minutes and found tracks from war ostriches. A large shadow passed over us, and we both looked up: it was the Avatar's sky bison.

"The Avatar!" shouted Zuko, pulling the reigns of the rhino to turn him around. He stopped, looking at the tracks and up at the sky and back again. He sighed, and turned the rhino toward the ostrich tracks, and kicked the rhino to make him go.

"You did the right thing, Zuko," I said, looking at his troubled face.

"Yeah..." he muttered, slightly disappointed.

We saw them; the Earthbenders who had captured Iroh, and Iroh, with a large bolder hovering above his hands. "These dangerous hands must be crushed!" yelled the Earthbender that stood over Iroh with the giant rock.

Zuko and I immediately jumped into action; Just as the bolder was about to crush Iroh's shackled hands, Zuko kicked it out of the way. I broke the shackles with a swift kick, freeing Iroh.

"Excellent, you two!" Iroh said brightly, rubbing his wrists. All three of us readied ourselves to fight.

"You are clearly outnumbered!" shouted the lead Earthbender that was going to crush Iroh's hands.

"Ah, but you are clearly outmatched!" said Iroh.

"Five against three?" laughed the Earthbender. "Let's see what you make of this!"

The Earthbenders surrounded us, launching stones into the air. Iroh swung his chains, breaking the large stones into tiny pieces; Zuko took out two nearest him with fire blasts; and I touched the ground in a split, doing my best to dodge the rock; it landed with a loud crash to my far left. Two soldiers behind Zuko launched more rocks at him, aiming for his head. I jumped behind him and shot small bursts of fire at the many stones, launching them back at the solders and knocking them out. The lead Earthbender shot several more rocks at Zuko and Iroh, but Iroh used his chains to wrap around the rocks and return them to their bender. A lone soldier grabbed my hands, forcing them behind my back. I kicked him very hard in the groin, and when he doubled over in pain, I punched him in the face, knocking him to the ground. _Girl power, bitch!_ I thought, smiling to myself. The lead Earthbender raised two rocks as shields, blocking Zuko's large blasts of fire. He was the only one left now, but not for long. Right before he launched the large rocks at Zuko, Iroh wrapped his chains around the Earthbender's ankles and pulled him to the ground, the rocks falling on top of him.

We all looked around, panting and covered in dirt, but smiling at one another. Iroh put his hand on Zuko's broad, muscular shoulder and smiled broadly. He patted his large, uncovered stomach as it growled loudly.

"Would you please put some clothes on!" urged Zuko, slapping a dirty hand to his forehead.


	8. Chapter 8

Zuko, Iroh, and I walked back to the ship. It was now dark and there weren't many people in the village. All three of us bathed and ate, and then Zuko and I set off into the night, in the direction of where the Avatar's sky bison was flying. I wanted to help Zuko...but I wanted to help the Avatar, too.

I was riding on the back of the war rhinoceros that Zuko was directing. I was extremely uncomfortable, not being able to hold onto anything. I longed to wrap my arms around Zuko's tight, toned stomach, and lay my head on his warm back, but I didn't; I kept myself balanced the best that I could without falling off the rhino in the process.

We reached an area of thick forest, and I couldn't help but question Zuko's memory.

"Are you sure you saw the bison come from this way?" I asked, rotating my shoulders.

"Yeah, I'm sure. There's not way that I could forget," he said, determined to find something.

The rhino walked on for half an hour at least, until finally, I saw smoke billowing above the tall oak trees.

"Zuko, look!" I pointed up into the sky at the gray smoke; after all of these trees and reeds, I was very eager to see something different. Zuko grunted appreciatively and kicked the rhino in the sides, beckoning him forward.

Through the thicket of trees and reeds, we came upon a small village. Zuko and I rode under it's arch and into the square. Zuko immediately hopped off of the rhino and started looking around in the dirt, presumably looking for footprints. I slid off of the beast's broad back and joined Zuko in his search.

"How can you tell the Avatar's footprints from the others?" I asked curiously.

"They're a much older shoe print and they're much smaller than anyone else's." he replied without even thinking. I smiled to myself, impressed; Zuko really knew his stuff. He followed a set of three different people's footprints to the door of a large bamboo home, where an old man was coming out, stretching and yawning. Zuko stood in his path, and he stopped, shocked.

"Having trouble falling asleep?" he asked, danger in his voice; and he pushed the old man backward into his home. I gasped and ran over to help him, being stopped by Zuko, who threw out a muscular arm, lightly hitting me in the chest. I scowled as the old man whimpered.

"Seen the Avatar lately?" he asked in the same deadly tone. The old man shuffled backward and got up quickly, dusting himself off.

"Yes, I have," he sputtered in fear, his eyes wide.

"You will tell me where the Avatar is, and if you lie, I will know," threatened Zuko, prodding the man in the chest with two fingers, singeing a hole in his robe. The man put both hands up, surrendering.

"The Avatar is on his way to the Fire Nation, to Crescent Island, to speak with Avatar Roku on the solstice!" he whimpered. I felt terrible for the man; Zuko shouldn't be doing this.

"But the solstice is tomorrow..." I pointed out. Zuko looked back at me, nodding in agreement.

"I will not hurt you, old man," he said, stepping away from the man's door,"But tell me this:...When did the Avatar leave to go to Crescent Island?" he asked, jumping back onto the war rhino and motioning for me to follow.

"About two hours ago -" the man began, but Zuko had already kicked the rhino in the sides, and we were racing forward, back into the trees. The whole ride was nothing but discomfort for me: the rhino did not run smoothly, and I had a great feeling that my ass would be sore by the time that we got back to the ship.

I was absolutely right, too. Once Zuko and I made it back to the ship, he alerted the crew, the captain, and his Uncle Iroh of his discovery. We immediately set a course for Crescent Island, Iroh protesting against it.

"Crescent Island is in the Fire Nation!" he shouted at Zuko, throwing his hands in the air.

"I am pursuing the Avatar!" Zuko argued back, outraged.

"Have you forgotten that you are banished!" asked Iroh in shock.

"Like I said: I'm pursing the Avatar! My father will understand!" yelled Zuko, exasperated.

"You will find that my brother is not the understanding type," said Iroh sadly, walking off to make himself some tea.

I stayed with Zuko when Iroh went to bed. It was so sad to see how desperate and determined he was to gain his honor back from his father. I stood next to him, and we talked as he searched the cloudless sky for any signs of the Avatar's bison. When he was silent for a while and had his telescope down, I scooted closer to him, laying my head on his shoulder. I waited for a pissed off Zuko to jerk away or shout at me, but neither came. He laid his head on top of mine, and I could smell his warm, sweet breath. We stayed like this until the sky was flecked pink and gray; the sun was rising. I yawned, moving reluctantly away from Zuko and stretching, my arms reaching for the sky.

"Go and get some rest," he said gently, obviously tired from being up all night.

"Aren't you going to go to sleep?" I asked, looking up into his beautiful amber eyes.

"No, not yet," he replied, turning away from me to look at the slowly rising sun, "I'll sleep when I've caught the Avatar." He mumbled the last part, and I sighed, walking beneath the deck of the ship to the room where I slept. Poor Zuko...

I rolled over in bed and opened my eyes. It couldn't have been too long since I stood on deck with Zuko. I slowly sat up and moved my feet over the side of the bed, rubbing my eyes and popping my fingers. I walked over to the bamboo dresser and pulled out a light blue outfit: tight, cotton, knee-length pants and a shirt that ended about an inch above my bellybutton. I grabbed fresh undergarments and headed down the corridor and into the bathroom, locking the wooden door behind me. I bathed in my lavender soap as usual, and dried off, dressing quickly and dabbing on my usual amount of lavender oil. I was running low, so I made a mental note to get some at the next stop that we made.

I walked out onto the deck, to find Zuko still standing where we stood the night before, looking through his telescope. I walked into the little square room to the side to find Iroh and three plates full of breakfast food. As soon as I smelled it, my mouth started watering, so I sat down and began to eat, talking and laughing with Iroh between mouthfuls of apple and honey. There was suddenly a very loud yell from out on the deck, startling both of us and causing us to jump in alarm.

I ran (slightly faster than Iroh) out of the room to Zuko, who was pointing to the sky and giving orders to the crew members. He had spotted the Avatar. A large catapult was raised from beneath the deck, and perched on it was what looked like a large, smoldering rock. When the stench from the rock hit me, I wrinkled my nose in disgust, and went to stand by Zuko.

"Shoot them down!" he commanded his men, who immediately took their places to fire.

"On the count of three! One...two...three... fire!" The disgusting rock went flying into the air at the Avatar's bison, who dodged it easily.

"Prince Zuko, couldn't you shoot them down with something more fragrant?" Iroh asked, pulling a small fan out of his pocket and fanning the air around his face. I giggled and have Iroh a thumbs up.

"Zuko!" I yelled, ceasing to laugh, "look!" Zuko looked ahead to see at least 50 Fire Nation ships in the water in front of us.

"A blockade!" he angrily whispered to himself, pulling me behind him.

"You are technically still in Earth Kingdom waters! If we turn back now, no harm can be done!" shouted Iroh, looking at his nephew with pleading eyes.

"Zuko, please!" I begged, pulling on the sleeve of his shirt. He turned and glared at both of us, and I let go of his shirt, defeated. I knew that look, and he wasn't going to give up.

"Listen to me, Prince Zuko! There is nothing that I can do for either of you if you are caught! Nothing!" yelled Iroh, still determined to change Zuko's mind. I looked overhead, searching for the Avatar's sky bison. He wasn't turning around. Zuko's eyes grew softer as he looked and Iroh and I, pleading looks on our faces.

"I'm sorry," he said to the twp of us and turning to his men, "Run the blockade!" he ordered, and immediately, the ship began to go faster. A terrible thought popped into my head: Zhao. What if Zhao set up the blockade in search of me?

"Zuko! It's Zhao! He Admiral now! He's looking for me!" I stuttered, forcing myself not to get sick. I swayed and fell against the side of the ship, Zuko quickly turning to try and calm me down. He crouched down next to me, cupping my face in his hands and looking extremely serious.

"I will protect you," he whispered, looking straight into my eyes, "no matter what."

He looked at me for a few more seconds, and hastily pulled me to my feet. There was no point in hiding now; Zhao probably had a telescope on board, and could see us just as well as we could see him.

Only seconds passed and all of the Fire Navy ships were shooting the same, smelly fireballs at the bison; few even coming close to hitting it. Many of the stray fire balls shot straight toward our ship, landing heavily in the ocean next to it, sending water over the deck and all over us. I was knocked across the deck by a huge wave, and emerged, coughing and soaking wet, moments later. Zuko and Iroh lay next to me, doing the same.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, there was a loud BANG and the whole ship shook, throwing me off balance and back onto the floor. A fire ball had hit the back of the ship, where the engines were. Iroh helped me quickly to my feet while the engine master shouted to Zuko.

"Prince Zuko!" he shouted, emerging from a small room near the top of the ship, "the engine is damaged, we need to stop and make repairs!"

"No!" Zuko shouted back, clenching his fists and looking back toward the blockade, "Do not stop this ship!"

Zuko stepped over to me, running his fingers over a new cut on my face, directly above my eyebrow. It stung a little, and I flinched, but he ignored it. He wiped a trickle of blood away with his thumb and turned back to the blockade, which was now shooting more fire balls at the Avatar's bison. Minutes passed and the bison vanished. Our now damaged ship was emitting clouds of black smoke from the damage done by the fire balls.

"We're on a collision course!" warned Iroh, pointing at the two ships that were coming toward ours on either side. I bit my bottom lip, hoping that nothing bad was going to happen.

"We can make it, Uncle!" shouted Zuko.

And he was right...the two ships cut their engines and let us pass. Zuko and Zhao stood, glaring at each other. Zuko made sure that I was behind him, showing Zhao that he couldn't touch me ever again. Zhao averted his eyes to mine, and winked, licking his lips just as he had that terrible night...

A tear ran down my cheek and I buried my head into the back of Zuko's shirt, my shoulders shaking with sobs. I felt Zuko tense up, and he shouted at Zhao, calling him a something that made Iroh say: "Zuko!".


	9. Chapter 9

Once our ship passed Zhao's, breaking the death glare between him and Zuko, Zuko turned around to me. I looked up at him, my tear-streaked face red and blotchy from crying. He gave me a look of sympathy, squeezed my shoulder gently, and turned to Iroh, who was looking slightly angry.

"Why do you think Zhao let me pass?" asked Zuko, pulling a cotton handkerchief out of his pocket and handing to me, "Why didn't he jump aboard and arrest me?"

"The ship is damaged, Prince Zuko," he began, looking up at the black smoke billowing out of the ship's engine, "He is going to follow the ship's trail to the Avatar, and to Kiyah," he said sadly.

"If Zhao wants to follow some smoke, that's what I'm going to let him do. He's not getting the Avatar _or_ Kiyah," he snarled, looking back at the blockade.

"I have an idea," said Zuko after a few seconds, heading toward a few guards that stood near the left side of the ship. I sniffled, wiping my eyes on the handkerchief that Zuko gave me. As soon as I brought it to my face, I inhaled deeply – the cotton smelled like Zuko. I smiled to myself and inhaled again, taking in his sweet scent.

"I'm going to pursue the Avatar in a wooden boat that's being lowered as we speak." said Zuko, walking back over to Iroh and I. "Uncle, keep heading north. I'm going to use the smoke as a cover from Zhao." he continued. Iroh was looking very disapproving, but he agreed.

Wait a minute. He didn't really think that I was going to let him go alone, did he? As he started to walk away, I put my small hand on his large shoulder, stopping him. He turned around to face me, looking down into my face.

"You're not going alone," I informed him, giving him a stern look. He looked dumbfounded, like I had just told him to go and clean his room like a good boy. He looked down.

"Kiyah, no. If Zhao's there, something might happen -" he started, but I cut him off.

"Listen Zuko, if I don't go, something could happen to _you_. I'm going with you, whether you like it or not; now get in the boat." I ordered, pointing to the small boat being lowered from the deck. _That should do it_, I thought, smirking inside of my head as Zuko nodded and did as I said. I joined him in the tiny boat, crossing my legs so that he had more room. We said goodbye to Iroh, who still looked wary, and we were lowered into the sea.

Zuko started rowing toward the front of the ship, trying his best to stay out of Zhao's sight. The sun had started to set, casting it's long pink and orange reflection into the ocean around us. Zuko and I talked as he rowed the boat toward Crescent Island, which was visible in the distance. The sweat on his forehead was glistening in the setting sun; I reached into the pocket of my pants and pulled out the handkerchief that he had given me earlier. I reached across the tiny boat carefully, trying not to upset the balance, and gently mopped the sweat from Zuko's brow. "Thanks," he smiled, panting slightly from the continuous work of rowing the boat forward.

When we finally reached the island, Zuko had to help me steady myself. Where I was sitting with my legs crossed for so long, both of my legs, and my ass were asleep. When I told him this, he laughed, pulling me along the beach with him up to the old, tall temple that stood before us. Zuko looked at the status of the setting sun; it was halfway down. We had time, but not very much. We ran inside, but it was deserted. Almost as soon as we started looking around, there was the sound of a large commotion over our heads. Zuko looked livid.

He lead me through passageways, toward the source of the noise. We walked quietly through a large secret door, bumping straight into the Avatar. He gasped and Zuko grabbed him, pinning his arms tightly behind him.

"Zuko! Don't hurt him!" I pleaded, giving the Avatar an apologetic look. There were fire sages standing next to a large door on the other side of the room, but we were hidden by columns and they hadn't seen us yet. There seemed to be some sort of squabble going on behind the large columns and then a male's voice yelled: "Now, Aang!" Was that the Avatar's name?

"Aang, now's your chance! Go!"shouted a girl's voice.

Zuko still had a vice grip on Aang, who was struggling to get away from him. He walked him to the front of the columns, and said: "The Avatar is coming with me!"

I followed behind them, my head hanging. The fire sages, who were laying on the ground in front of the water tribe girl and boy, sprang up out of nowhere, tackling the girl and boy. I ran forward, shooting fire blasts at the sages, but they blocked them with fire bending of their own, and tied the girl and boy up to a column. Two sages then grabbed me from behind, forcing me painfully to my knees.

"Let her go!" ordered Zuko angrily, but the sages didn't listen; they only smirked around to one another. My hands were tied behind my back and I was kicked to the floor. I rolled over, angrily spitting hair out of my mouth and cursing loudly.

"Thanks for trying to help us," whispered the pretty water tribe girl, smiling weakly. I smiled back at her, sitting up against the column that she was tied to. The fire sages looked around at one another, and made to close the doors. Zuko must have wanted this, because he smiled wickedly as he walked Aang up to them. But Aang was too quick! He tripped Zuko and made him stumble. Then, after knocking Zuko down the stairs to our left, he jumped on the heads of the four Fire Sages and jumped into the room where he would be able to speak to Avatar Roku. The doors closed quickly behind him, and the Fire Sages and Zuko all made angry noises.

"Open the doors!" he ordered the Fire Sages, and joined them to make five separate fire blasts hit the door that Aang had just jumped into.

"Why isn't it working!" demanded Zuko angrily, smoke shooting out of his nose.

"The locking mechanism!" croaked one of the Sages, pointing at the door, "He must be speaking with Avatar Roku, or it would open!"

At this, Zuko punched a column in anger, breaking the stone, and leaving him with a bleeding hand. Minutes passed and Aang still didn't emerge. I wriggled around uncomfortably, doing my best to try and burn the ropes off of my wrists. It took a few tries, but I finally got it. When nobody was looking, I crawled around the back of the column that the boy and girl were tied to, burning through the rope and freeing them. I walked back around the column, ready to face the Sages for what I had done.

"Hey, I'm loose!" whispered the boy to the girl, who had just realized the same thing.

"Yeah, but how?" asked the girl, looking around in search of her savior. I nudged her and she smiled, nodding her head to thank me.

"My name is Katara, and this is my brother, Sokka," she said, gesturing to Sokka.

"I'm Kiyah," I said quietly, looking around at the exasperated Sages and Zuko; they were still trying to open the door.

"Well, Kiyah," said Sokka, rubbing his hands together, "I think you just might be our new best friend."

"It was nothing. I don't want the Avatar captured, let alone his friends." I informed them, making sure that no one saw that we were all free.

"Then why are you with Zuko?" asked Katara, clearly confused.

"He and his Uncle saved me from Admiral Zhao," I admitted, turning my head to look at him, "and they've been protecting me from him and my father ever since." I explained, forcing myself not to laugh at Sokka's open mouth. I turned, and Zuko was right in front of me, glaring. I looked up at him and gulped, backing up to the column behind me. His face was inches from mine, and I could practically hear his heartbeat. A Sage who was laying unconscious on the floor was now stirring, waking quickly.

"Why did you help them?" Zuko asked in a deadly whisper. He had only talked to me like this one time, and the aftermath was me punching a wall.

"I couldn't stand by and watch the Sages hurt them!" I said honestly, bravely looking up into his angry face. He was silent, nodded, and turned to the Sage on the floor, pulling him up by his shirt.

"Why did you help the Avatar?" he ordered, shaking the man.

"Because I am a Sage, and it is our duty," he said calmly, and Zuko threw him back to the floor.

Clapping filled the room, and Admiral Zhao entered with some of his men. My stomach lurched, and I slumped back onto the column, sliding to the floor. This was the closest I'd been to Zhao in almost a month, but the memory of what he did to me wasn't fading away. Katara gasped and got down on her knees beside me, brushing hair out of my face and comforting me.

"What a moving and heartfelt performance," he cooed, his eyes flashing menacingly at Zuko, "I'm completely certain that the Fire Lord will understand when you explain this to him."

Katara motioned to Sokka, and he hoisted me to my feet, holding onto me to keep me from falling back to the ground. Four of the five Sages bowed to Zhao.

"It's okay," Katara said gently, trying to comfort me further, "he can't hurt you with us around."

"No," I sputtered, my face very white, "it's not that I'm afraid of him...it's that seeing him brings back a terrible memory; something he did to me." I gulped, trying not to tear up. I hated falling to pieces like this.

"What happened?" asked Sokka quietly, nudging me softly in the ribs.

I looked down and said: "He raped me."

Both of them gasped and looked angrily over to Zhao, who seemed to be having quite a good time taunting my Zuko. Wait...did I just call him "my Zuko"? What the hell?

One of Zhao's men lurched forward and grabbed Zuko, pinning his arms behind his back. I gasped and tried to wriggle my way out of Sokka's grip to help him, but Sokka only held on tighter.

"I don't think that's a good idea," he said, putting a hand on my shoulder. I sighed, ready to punch Sokka and run toward Zuko if anything bad were to happen. Zuko struggled and glared up at Zhao.

"You're too late!" he yelled, his voice bouncing off the walls of the tall tower in an echo, "The Avatar is already inside, the door is sealed!"

"Oh well," said Zhao casually, "he has to come out some time." Zuko gritted his teeth and fought against the guard's grip. Zhao suddenly looked over to me, his eyes flashing and full of lust. He took a step forward, and stopped when Zuko started yelling.

"DON'T YOU EVEN LOOK AT HER! I'LL KILL YOU!" he threatened, still fighting against the guard's strong grip. Zhao laughed and ignored him, continued walking, and stopped about five feet in front of Sokka, Katara, and I. I whimpered and took a deep breath, nudging Sokka hard in the ribs as a sign to let me go. When he didn't, I looked up at him angrily and he shook his head. I looked pleadingly at Katara, who was in a fighting stance and glaring at Zhao. I didn't want them to protect me; I wanted them to get out of the way so they wouldn't get hurt.

"Let the girl go, Water Tribe filth," he spat at Sokka, raising a fist threateningly. Zuko continued to scream at and threaten Zhao. He now had three guards hanging onto him so that he couldn't get free.

"Let me go, Sokka," I whispered, glaring into Zhao's lust-filled eyes, "I don't want you two to get hurt just because of me. Now go!" I nudged Sokka in the ribs much harder this time, and he let go, holding himself in pain. I pushed Katara backwards into Sokka, and they both fell to the floor.

"Are you ready for round two?" asked Zhao, hungrily looking at my exposed stomach and chest. Sokka and Katara were immediately behind me when he said this, ready to fight him off. Zuko was screaming louder than ever, still struggling against three guards.

I lunged at Zhao, punching him in the mouth, wiping the smirk right off of it. He recoiled and tore at my shirt, exposing my right breast. I gasped and sent fire at him. He dodged it and sent some back. I pushed Sokka and Katara away again, blocking Zhao's fire blast with one of my own. Zuko was yelling, Katara was screaming, and Sokka had wide eyes as Zhao came toward me again, knocking me to the ground and ripping my shirt further, exposing the whole of my pale chest. He stared down at it hungrily and ordered the remaining guards (that weren't holding Zuko down) to restrain Katara and Sokka. I screamed and punched furiously, doing my best to get Zhao off of me. This couldn't happen to me again. It was traumatizing the first time, and a second time would have me on the verge of suicide, I just knew it. I didn't want to dream about this every night for the rest of my life. My heart was racing, my breathing was shallow, and I punched Zhao again as he tore at my pants. Sokka and Katara were screaming, but they were barely heard over a sobbing Zuko.

I kneed Zhao as hard as I could, and he fell backwards. I unleashed everything that I had in me; I shot fire at him, I kicked him in the face repeatedly, and when I thought I could do no more, he pulled me to the ground, and rolled on top of me, pinning me to the floor and glaring. The blood from his nose dripped down onto my forehead, and he punched me, as hard as he could, in the face. He then got up and straightened his uniform, walking over to the Sages.

My nose stung, and warm blood trickled down over my mouth. I sat up, wiping the blood on the remains of my clothes. I covered myself the best that I could and scooted myself backward, until my back touched the column. Tears streamed down my face as I looked at Zhao with hatred.

"When that door opens, unleash all of your fire power!" Zhao ordered the Sages. They all nodded and took stance alongside Zhao. I was pleased to see that blood was still dripping from his nose.

"How's Aang going to make it out of this?" moaned Katara miserably, hanging her head.

"Uh, how are _we_ going to make it out of this?" asked Sokka, struggling against his chains.

About a minute passed and the doors flew open with a gust of wind, and visible in the darkness, were a pair of glowing blue eyes. The Sages and Zhao were all standing, ready to fire at the Avatar.

"No! Aang!" squealed Katara, her eyes widening in shock.

"Fire!" ordered Zhao, and the five firebenders shot five continuous fire blasts at the door. But the fire wasn't entering the sanctuary; it was staying at the doors, stopped by a much more powerful ball of swirling fire. At the very heart of the fire ball, was Avatar Roku! His eyes were glowing blue, and he pulled all of the fire back toward himself, and shot it at Zhao and the Sages, knocking them all backward. The heat melted Zuko, Sokka, and Katara's chains. Zuko immediately ran over to me and cradled me in his arms, running away from the room.

He ran until he reached the beach. The temple was smoking now, and there was lava coming down from it. He gasped and pulled me closer to him; my head laying on his chest. I groaned in pain; my head felt like it had been split open and my body ached. Zuko looked down at me sadly, and held me tighter.

"Prince Zuko! Over here!" It was Iroh, waving his arms from the ship. Zuko nodded, and ran toward where the ship was: about 40 feet away from the blazing temple. The metal ramp was lowered and Zuko walked up, panting. I took my arms from around Zuko's neck and got down, stumbling slightly.

"What in the world has happened to her!" asked Iroh in alarm. I was sure that I looked terrible.

"Zhao," said Zuko with hatred in his voice. Iroh shot a glare at the larger ship, docked at the other side of the island. We immediately set sail at full speed, getting as far away from the island that we could, and out of the Fire Nation.

Zuko walked me into the bathroom. As I sat there on the tub, head in my hands, he went into my room and brought back a pair of sleep clothes. I stood up and thanked him, reaching out to put an hand on his arm.

"Thank you for every, Zuko," I whispered, looking at my feet. I had lost a shoe as well.

"I couldn't stand it." he said after a few seconds of silence. I looked at him, confused.

"Couldn't stand what?" I asked, moving closer to him.

"Watching Zhao...do that to you. Even though he didn't get your pants off, it killed me on the inside. I've never hated a man more than I hate Zhao." he admitted, looking down. With everything that Zuko and I had talked about, nothing he said was this heartfelt.

I tilted his head back up, so that he was looking into my eyes, and he threw himself on me, hugging me tightly. We embraced for a long time, and I enjoyed every minute of it. He stroked my tangled hair and caressed the back of my head. I felt his warmth, and I knew that I had found home.


	10. Chapter 10

Zuko bade me goodnight, and cupped one side of my face in his hand, smiling. I hugged him again, and he walked out of the bathroom door, closing it quietly behind him. I sighed happily, like one would after being given a beautiful flower from their lover. Maybe Zuko and I could - wait a second. I don't need to be thinking about that; all that we are is friends, and that's how it would stay. Snap out of it, Kiyah! I told myself, shaking my head.

I stepped in front of the long mirror that hung on the wall and looked at myself in the dim candlelight: my long, auburn hair had come unwillingly out of its loose braid, and was now hanging down past my shoulders in tangles. My nose was swollen from where Zhao had punched me, and there was a trail of dried blood that lead from my nose to the right side of my head. Since I had been laying down, the blood from my nose didn't go down, it went to the side; and now my hair was caked with dried blood on one side, matting it to my face. My cotton shirt was hanging in shreds off of my upper body, exposing both of my rounded breasts, my pale chest, and my bruised back. There were scratches across my chest were Zhao had ripped and torn at my clothing. The clothing itself had only a small amount of blood on it where I had wiped my bloody nose. My pants had spots of blood here and there, and I was missing the shoe on my left foot. I looked as terrible as I felt; I was so weak.

I stripped off the remains of my shirt and slid my pants down to my ankles, stepping slowly out of them. I filled the porcelain tub with water from the spout, only having to pump a few times to fill it. The water was already heated by the engines and coal below, so that meant no extra work for me. I stepped into the steaming water, goosebumps climbing up my body from my foot to my chest. I sat down, feeling immediate pain-relief from the heat. I sighed happily and leaned back, closing my eyes. I washed my face with my hands; the blood, diluted with water, was much less scarlet on my skin. Next was my hair: I grabbed the lavender soap from the side of the tub and squirted it into my hands. I leaned back again, getting my hair wet, and started working up a good lather on my head. The normally white bubbles were tinged red by my blood.

Once I was clean, I stepped out of the bath and grabbed a long, white towel, wrapping it around myself. I put my hand into the water to pull the plug and drain it; the water looked disgusting: like someone had slaughtered a baby platypus bear in it. I wrinkled my nose and dried myself off, wrapping a smaller towel around my clean, sopping hair. I applied lavender oil to my arms and legs, and dressed in the sleep clothes that Zuko had brought me from my room: a magenta long-sleeved top that buttoned up the middle, and a pair of matching pants that stopped stylishly at my ankles. The shirt was much more form-fitting than the pants; they hugged my curves and caressed my breasts.

I walked into my room and closed the door, crossed the room, and sat down on a cushioned red stool in front of the mirror. I pulled my hair out of the towel, shaking my head slightly as I did. My auburn hair was wavy as it usually was when it was wet. I grabbed my silver comb from the bedside table and began running it through my hair. It tugged slightly at the roots, but I kept pulling, determined to get the tangles out. Once I finished, I laid down on the bed without pulling the blankets down, and fell asleep.

I could smell food, and it was close! I snapped my eyes open only to see Zuko placing a tray of breakfast foods on my bedside table. I looked down at my body, which was now wrapped in a soft blanket, and sat up.

"Good morning," said Zuko, sitting at the end of my bed.

"Hey, Zuko," I yawned, inhaling the smell of the hot rice and honey that sat only inches away from me.

"How did you sleep?" he asked, smiling slightly, "because by the looks of it, pretty good." he laughed, pointing at the spot of drool on my pillow. I smiled and playfully punched him in the arm.

"I was so tired!" I said in defense, laughing along with him. I loved just being able to talk to him, to look at him...those eyes were so beautiful.

"Well, now that you're rested, after you eat, do you wanna train with me?" he asked, looking hopeful.

"Of course," I said, pulling the tray toward me hungrily. He smiled and watched me take my first few bites.

"Kiyah! Your nose!" He pointed at my face and moved closer for a better look. Oh yeah, my nose. Just as he mentioned it, it stung violently and I winced.

"Is that where Zhao punched you?" he asked angrily, narrowing his glowing amber eyes. I took a deep breath to stop my eyes from watering from the pain.

"Yeah," I muttered, bringing both hands to my face.

"No, Kiyah, don't cry, please," he begged, squeezing my leg through the blankets.

"I'm not crying," I giggled, putting my hands down, and tilting my head.

"Haven't you ever had a broken nose?" I asked, still giggling slightly, "it hurts like hell." Zuko didn't laugh at this, and brought his own hand to my face, hesitating to touch my swollen, bruised nose.

"Do you need me to get you anything?" he asked as I took another bite of food.

"No, I'm fine," I said cheerfully, wiping my mouth on the paper napkin that sat on the tray. Zuko nodded and forced a smile, looking past my face and out the window.

I ate and dressed quickly, eager to start some new training with Zuko and Iroh. I skipped onto the deck and straight up to Zuko, poking his nose with my index finger. He gave me a strange look and smiled, pushing me gently backward. Iroh had just finished eating, and emerged from the small, square room patting his stomach.

"Good morning, Kiyah; Prince Zuko," he smiled, walking over to stand in front of us. We returned the greeting and waited to hear what we would be doing today.

"Okay," he began, moving Zuko and I about three feet apart, "you both have excellent firebending forms: you have perfected your fighting stances and mastered your movements. Now it is time to learn something very useful." Zuko and I looked eagerly at one another, desperate to hear more.

"Today, you will learn how to move quickly and swiftly out of your enemy's grasp," he continued. If I wasn't mistaken, his eyes flashed toward me more than Zuko. Zuko must have told him about my struggle with Zhao the night before.

"Okay, Kiyah, I want you to tackle Zuko to the floor and make it to where he cannot move," said Iroh, gesturing to Zuko. Zuko backed up about five more feet and I smirked, readying myself to pounce.

I ran and jumped on Zuko, wrapping my legs around him and knocking him to the ground. His eyes were wide; and I hadn't yet realized why, but that quickly changed; I was sitting on his crotch. I bit my bottom lip and rolled him over, pinning his arms to his back and sitting on his butt, my legs crossed. Iroh laughed and clapped at this sight.

"Very good!" he praised, walking over to where Zuko laid, "Now Zuko, I want you to roll out from under her as fast as you can. This will knock her off balance and it will give you time to quickly get to your feet before she can attack again." Iroh explained.

"Oh-" he added, before Zuko could move, "be careful not to hit her in the nose. I'll need to treat that later."

Zuko nodded and and rolled out from under me. As Iroh said, I was knocked off balance and fell to the ground, landing harder than I had expected, on my tail bone. I giggled and watched Zuko get to his feet and into a fighting stance. Iroh praised Zuko and told us to keep practicing; he was going to go and play Pai Sho.

Zuko and I practiced different moves for at least another hour. Once we got bored of knocking each other to the ground, we decided to practice battle. This only went on for a short while when the ship suddenly turned violently, sending Zuko and I sailing to the edge. After almost falling into the ocean, I straightened myself up, my heart beating extremely fast. Zuko looked confused and shouted to the captain's open door.

"Why are you changing our course!" he yelled angrily, "No one told you to change it!" Iroh then stepped out the door of the captain's room and climbed down the stairs to the deck, where Zuko and I stood, dumbfounded.

"Actually, I did," he informed us, scratching his beard, "I assure you, it is very important, Prince Zuko."

"Is it something to do with the Avatar?" said Zuko hopefully, his eyes widening.

"Oh no," chortled Iroh at the look on Zuko's face, "It is something much more urgent: I seem to have misplaced my lotus tile."

"Lotus tile?" asked Zuko, clearly confused.

"For my Pai Sho game," explained Iroh, "Many find the lotus tile unimportant, but it is essential for the strategy that I use."

"You changed our course for a stupid game piece?" asked Zuko, outraged.

"See! You underestimate its value! Just give me ten minutes." said Iroh, shaking his head.

Zuko seemed to be working very hard to contain his anger. He took several deep breaths and blew smoke out of his nose. Iroh smiled at me as Zuko walked back out onto the deck, cursing under his breath.

"I am very lucky to have such an understanding nephew," he laughed. I laughed too, until my nose started stinging.

"Ouch!" I winced in pain, my eyes watering slightly.

"You better let me take care of your nose," said Iroh, leading me into the square room where the medicine cabinet was.

I sat down while Iroh rummaged in the cabinet for something to use on my nose. I didn't know what he was going to find in there that would make the pain go away. Zuko walked in just as Iroh pulled out a small bandage. The captain yelled Iroh's name, and he handed the bandage to Zuko and walked hurriedly out of the room. Zuko sat down in front of me with the bandage in his hand..

"What am I supposed to do with this?" he asked, looking down at it.

"Put it on the bridge of my nose, I'm pretty sure," I shrugged, closing my eyes and waiting to feel slight pressure and pain on my nose. It didn't come. I opened them again to see Zuko only inches from my face.

"Kiyah," he breathed, slowing moving closer, "I really...I don't know how to say it." he said, moving away, angry with himself.

"Don't know how to say what?" I asked desperately, putting both of my hands on his knees.

"Never mind," he said in a sad tone of voice, fidgeting with the bandage. He took a deep breath and moved his hands toward my face.

"Please tell me if I hurt you," he pleaded, looking me in the eyes. I nodded and bit my bottom lip. He laid the bandage on my nose as carefully as he could, but it still hurt. I didn't let him know that though, or he would have pulled away from my face. I wanted him to touch me for as long as was possible. I involuntarily wrinkled up my face in pain as he applied more pressure, sticking the bandage to my nose.

"I'm sorry!" he cried as my eyes began to water. I wiped away the tears that had formed and looked at him again, putting my small hand on his large one.

"It's okay, Zuko, you didn't mean to," I said, trying my best to make him feel better about it. He smiled slightly and nodded, leaning forward toward my face. Our eyes locked and he moved in...closer and closer, closing his eyes. I closed mine too, waiting for his lips to touch mine. I wanted to pull him into me and kiss him fiercely, but I restrained myself, not wanting to ruin it. I did have feelings for Zuko, there was no denying that. I felt him move closer, and just when his soft lips brushed against mine, Iroh yelled for us. Zuko pulled away from me, his cheeks very pink. He caressed my cheek, cupping it in one hand, and we got up, walking to the deck.

Butterflies were dancing around wildly in my stomach, and I couldn't help smiling.


	11. Chapter 11

We finally reached a marketplace after about 45 minutes. Iroh had decided not to go all the way back to Kyoshi Island to find his lotus tile; so he was now looking to buy one. When the ship was docked outside of the little market, Zuko and I set off down the crowded little street. Many people looked worried at the sight of him, which didn't make me very happy at all.

Iroh had gone into a little shop for Pai Sho, and told us that he would meet us by the ship in a half hour. Since Zuko and I were free to do basically anything we wanted to, he led me into a clothing store. I was confused at first, but then he started showing me to the woman's clothing, and I knew what his intentions were. He let me pick out the color and style, and he then bought me a brand new earthy-green outfit to replace the one that Zhao had destroyed.

I thanked him with a swift kiss on the cheek, and we both blushed bright red and looked away from each other awkwardly. We continued to walk down the busy little street, occasionally pointing at random shops or strange-looking people.

"I've checked every single shop on this pier, and I didn't find a single lotus tile," said Iroh, once we had all met back at the ship. There were two men talking in hushed voices very near to us, and Zuko casually walked over to them, listening in. I shook my head, laughing. He was so nosy.

"Well, I see that you've found a great deal more than a lotus tile," I giggled, gesturing to the many guards carrying armfuls of merchandise onto the ship.

"Oh yes! The only thing better than finding something you were looking for, is finding something you weren't looking for at a great bargain!" he chortled, looking very pleased with himself. All three of us then made our way up onto a ship that was docked very close to our own.

"This place looks very promising!" proclaimed Iroh as soon as we walked up the wooden ramp and into the ship. The ship had been turned into what looking like a small shop. There were little statues, jewelry, and large knives that lined the shelves. Iroh immediately ran over to a jeweled monkey and started examining it.

"This is very handsome!" he commented, picking it up and turning it over in his hands. "It would look nice in the galley, don't you think?" he asked me, nodding toward the monkey.

"Of course it would, it's very beautiful," I agreed, looking over toward Zuko. He was conversing with a Pirate and another man, who were talking about a waterbending scroll that was stolen about an hour earlier by a Water Tribe girl and a bald monk. My heart leapt; Aang and Katara. But why would she steal? She seemed nice enough to me.

"Did the monk have a blue arrow on his head?" asked Zuko in a whisper.

By nightfall, Zuko and I were on a smaller engined boat, and many pirates on another. We started down the river, looking toward the woods. I could hear frogs croaking as we slowly sailed in the calm water. I was right at Zuko's side the whole time, helping him look for Aang, Katara, and Sokka. I wanted them to get away...but Zuko wanted the opposite. I understood his strong desire to capture Aang. But I personally didn't think that his father seemed to be worth it. I wasn't going to tell _him_ that of course, because it might offend him.

Suddenly, a noise. The pirates immediately beached their ship to the source, and Zuko and I followed. I hoped that it was only an animal, but I was wrong. Zuko and I ran to her; she was now being held by a pirate.

"No! Let me go!" she struggled for a moment, and then bended some water toward her, whipping the pirate in the face. My heart fluttered, as she was seeming to get away, but she ran right into the arms of another pirate, who held her arms behind her back, so that she couldn't bend. They then tied her to the trunk of a large tree so that she couldn't move. As soon as everyone was distracted, I would burn through the ropes and let her loose. Katara and Sokka had been willing to fight Zhao off for me back at the temple on Crescent Island. I couldn't repay her by doing this.

"Tell me where he is, and I won't hurt you or your brother," said Zuko, glaring down into her blue eyes.

"Go jump in the river!" she spat, looking away from him. He moved closer to her, his arms folded across his chest. She looked at me desperately, and I gave her an apologetic look and held up a finger, signaling for her to wait.

"You see, I need to capture the Avatar to restore something I've lost: my honor. Perhaps in return I can restore something that you've lost," he bargained, trying to stay reasonable. He pulled out a beautiful blue necklace with the Water Tribe's symbol on it. I narrowed my eyebrows in confusion.

"Where did you get that?" Katara and I asked together. Zuko looked at me for a second, and then returned his gaze to Katara, who was clearly upset.

"I didn't steal it, if that's what you're asking," taunted Zuko, dangling the necklace in front of her.

"Now tell me where he is," he demanded, getting irritated.

"No!" she snarled, struggling against the ropes that bound her to the trunk of the tree. The Captain of the Pirate ship stepped forward with a grim expression on his face.

"Enough of this nonsense! You promised the scroll!" he shouted, though he needn't. Zuko, who was clearly annoyed, picked the scroll from inside of his uniform and made fire, holding the flames directly beneath the scroll. Many of the pirates cried out in protest.

"I see that this is worth a lot more than I thought," he said, smiling wickedly. I hated seeing him like this; it was like a whole different side to him.

"You help me find what I want, you get this back, and then everyone gets their way. Search the woods for the boy and meet back here." he ordered the last part, as if he were speaking to his men.

"Fine," snapped the Captain, obviously defeated. And then all but two of the pirates left. I immediately ran over to Katara, who looked on the verge of tears.

"What's wrong?" I asked, concerned.

"That's my mother's necklace...that's all I have left of her." she explained, a saddened expression on her face.

"I'm sorry, Katara," I said, my voice full of sympathy. She nodded and looked down.

"I'm going to get you out of here though," I whispered so that the two remaining pirates couldn't hear. She suddenly looked up, hopeful.

"Thanks so much," she whispered back, checking to see that the pirates weren't listening in. They weren't, of course. They had their backs turned to us and were talking in hushed voices.

"But how are you going to burn through chains?" she asked, looking a little less hopeful. Well, there you have it: I'm an idiot. I didn't even look at what she had been tied up with; I only assumed that it would have been rope.

"Dammit!" I hissed, smacking a hand to my forehead. I narrowly missed my nose, and my eyes watered.

"Be careful! You might move your nose out of place!" scolded Katara, giving me a stern, motherly look.

"Yeah, I just remembered," I grimaced, wiping my streaming eyes, "But what are we going to do now?" I asked frantically, eying the chains. If I did try to burn through them, the metal would get hot and burn Katara. Maybe one of the pirates had a key! I held up a finger to Katara, who nodded again, looking confused. I whistled loudly to them, and they snapped their heads around, looking for the source of the noise. I ran at them, and kicked the first one in the stomach, rebounding off of him and sending fire blasts at the second. He was knocked backward and into a tree, unconscious. But the first one, who was now angrier than ever, swiped at me with large, gorilla-like arms. I dodged easily; he was very big and slow, while I was small and fast. I kicked him in the jaw, turning his head to the side and busting his lip. He growled in anger, making more furious swipes at me with his arms. Weren't pirates supposed to have swords? I moved out of the way, and punched him, very hard, in the face. He staggered backward, clutching his bruised cheek and glaring at me with small, beady eyes. I went at him again, this time aiming to knock him unconscious, just like the other pirate. I sent fire blasts at him as I ran, and he was knocked to the ground, defeated. I smiled to myself and checked his pockets, but not before giving Katara a thumbs up.

I checked every single one of his pockets; I found everything else but a key. Irritated, I quickly walked over to the pirate that was unconscious against the tree. I was almost finished checking his pockets when he grabbed me. I gasped, taken by extreme surprise, and he kicked me in the stomach, knocking me over. I glared and fire shot through the fingertips as we both got to our feet. Katara was shouting mean things at the pirate, and I couldn't help but smile a tiny bit. He pulled out his sword and I stood in a fighting stance, ready to either strike or dodge. Right as he came toward me, he was knocked out of the way by an extremely forceful kick from Zuko. They were back already? Zuko held the scroll in one hand, and two of the 10 pirates held Sokka and Aang, who were now being tied up with rope. I glared and blew my bangs out of my face.

"Nice work," praised Zuko to the Captain, who was looking very pleased with himself.

"I'm sorry, Aang...this is all my fault!" said Katara sadly, hanging her head.

"No, Katara, it's not," comforted Aang, struggling against his ropes.

"Actually," chimed in one of the pirates, "it kind of is." Zuko rolled his eyes and held up the scroll to the Captain.

"Now give me the boy," spat Zuko, gesturing to Aang.

"You give us the scroll," snarled the Captain, being just as rude to Zuko as Zuko was being to him.

"You're really going to hand over the Avatar for a stupid piece of paper!" asked Sokka, looking amused at the situation. I smiled and looked over to him, and he winked. I didn't know this boy well, but I could tell that he had a plan.

"Don't listen to him!" ordered Zuko, pointing at Sokka, "he's trying to confuse you!"

"Your bald friend is the Avatar?" the Captain asked Sokka, who nodded furiously.

"He sure is! And I'll bet you anything that he'll get a lot more silver on the black market than that fancy-looking scroll," Sokka smiled, looking hopeful.

"Shut your mouth, asshole!" shouted Zuko, enraged at what Sokka was doing.

"Yeah Sokka, I think that might be a good idea," muttered Aang out of the corner of his mouth. Zuko looked outraged, and the pirates were muttering to eachother.

"Keep the scroll! We can buy a hundred more with the money we'll get for the boy," snapped the Captain, motioning his men to walk away with Sokka and Aang.

"You'll regret even letting that come out of your filthy mouth!"shouted Zuko, gesturing for me to come over and help him with the pirates. I couldn't let them get away with Sokka and Aang OR without the key to unlock Katara's chains.

I ran over to Zuko and we both entered different fighting stances, aiming at the pirates. We looked at eachother, nodded, and unleashed fire from our hands, bathing the ground underneath the retreating pirates and burning their feet. The pirates who were holding Sokka and Aang threw them to the ground, and headed straight for Zuko and I, swords ready.

"Get the skinny girl first!" yelled the captain to his men, and then five pirates came toward me, laughing evilly. I glared and began kicking, punching, and sending fire in every direction that I could. I danced out of a rather large pirate's grip, and twisted his arm backward, knocking his sword to the ground. He cried out in pain, and I backhanded him in the face, knocking him backward. Another pirate immediately lunged at me, but I was quicker and moved out of his reach, sending fire into his stomach. I quickly took out the other pirates; and when the last one dropped, so did a large key. I smiled and moved to pick it up, running back to Katara, who was still struggling against the chains.

"You got it?" she asked happily as I twisted the key in the lock at the back of the tree.

"Yeah! It fell out of that big pirate's pocket!" I exclaimed as the chains fell to the ground with a clank. A lemur crawled down the tree that Katara had been chained to, and leapt onto my shoulders, hiding from the Captain's ugly green parrot. The lemur chattered and hid his head behind my hair.

"That's Momo," explained Katara, readying herself to fight against some incoming pirates. Momo then jumped out of sight, taking flight and dodging the parrot.

"Ahh!" I screamed in pain as one of the pirates' long swords dug into my arm, leaving a gash. I sent fire at them in anger, stopping only after they had been knocked unconscious. I looked at my forearm where I had been cut: It wasn't bad, it just stung and was only bleeding a little.

Katara thanked me and ran to the pirate ship, trying to get it to move with waterbending. After fighting off a few more pirates, I noticed that Sokka and Aang had joined her, and now both Katara and Aang were using waterbending to get the ship off of the beach. I cheered to myself and ran to help Zuko, who was taking on five of the remaining pirates by himself. I ran at the biggest one, kicking him down and sending fire at his sword, knocking it far away from him. He gave a very girly squeal and quickly crawled away into the woods. I laughed out loud, extremely amused at the squeaky noise that the pirate had made. I was then slung to the ground by another pirate, who drew his sword threateningly as tried to get up. I rolled my eyes and sent a streaming jet of fire his way, knocking his sword away and igniting his ugly brown hat. I quickly got to my feet to find Zuko surrounded by unconscious pirates and panting heavily.

We discussed making our way back to the village where the ship was, but decided against it because of our lack of strength. The pirate ship was gone, and so were all the pirates, aside from the five that lay at our feet. Zuko led me to the ship and we sailed about a mile up river, dropping the anchor and jumping off of the ship's side onto the mossy ground. Zuko pulled out a medium-sized back from inside of the room where the engine was. I soon found out that this bag held emergency supplies: dried fruit, a single sleeping bag, a small wooden cup, and a compass.

I gathered some wood for the fire while Zuko stacked up rocks in a circle, where the fire would soon be. The grass was soft and dry, but the temperature was dropping slightly; it was getting chilly. Once I started the fire, Zuko and I ate the dried fruit and used the wooden cup to scoop water from the river to drink. He ripped some fabric from his shirt and wrapped it around my injured arm, being as gentle as he could in the process. We laid there for a while, talking and looking at the stars, and then I started to dose off.

"Kiyah?" he said quietly, rolling over to face me.

"Hmm?" I opened my eyes and propped myself up on my elbows.

"Was...what we did earlier today...was that your first kiss?" he asked nervously. I smiled and laughed, moving my face toward his.

"Yes," I whispered, pecking him on the cheek. He sighed with relief and slowly sat up, grabbing my arm and pulling me up to. He looked at me and moved toward me; stopping only inches from my face.

"Close your eyes," he whispered. I did what he told me, and his lips immediately crashed into mine. I hungrily kissed him back, and let his tongue explore my mouth. He moved his hands to caress my face, and stroked my cheek with one of his thumbs. I didn't want this to end; this is where I wanted to be. But soon after I thought that, the kiss did end, leaving me breathless.

I sighed happily, and we embraced. He hugged me tightly for a while, and then we laid back down. He had let me sleep on the sleeping bag, and he took the ground. That night, we fell asleep holding hands under the stars. It was perfect.


	12. Chapter 12

**Author's Note**: Sorry it's a little late! I slept all day yesterday, lol. I hope you guys like this one, and PLEASE read and review! Give me some ideas! :D

"There is a storm coming...a very big one," said Iroh, sniffing the air around him curiously. We were all standing on the deck of the ship, drinking cool glasses of mixed tangerine and pearfruit juice. Zuko was searching the clear blue sky with his telescope, and Iroh and I were walking around aimlessly, trying to pass the time. Zuko put down his telescope, clearly annoyed at what his Uncle had just stated.

"Storm? There's not even one cloud in the sky," he spat, shaking his head in disbelief.

"It is coming from the north. We need to change our course, Prince Zuko," Iroh continued, despite Zuko's obvious disbelief that so much as bird shit would fall out of the sky. Zuko turned, his shiny black ponytail fluttering in the breeze. To me, everything about that boy was perfect. I liked him more than I liked baby turtleducks, and that was a lot.

"Uncle, we know that the Avatar is traveling north, and we're going to do the same," he said angrily, turning his attention back to the clear, cloudless sky.

"Consider the safety of the crew, Zuko. Consider _our__ safety_," argued Iroh, gesturing to me and himself, his gray eyebrows narrowed in aggravation. Zuko ignored him, grabbed his telescope, and huffily started to gaze into the sky again. Iroh sighed in defeat and walked down the narrow stairs, below the deck.

I walked up next to Zuko and leaned against the side of the ship, twirling my long hair in my fingers. He didn't move at first, but then sighed and put down the telescope, facing me. About two weeks had passed since the night that we spent in the woods together, and after a talk from Iroh about safe sex, everything was smooth sailing. We hadn't spotted Aang, Katara, or Sokka since the encounter with the pirates, but when we had stopped to re-stock our supplies, we heard that they had been through there recently, and were planning to head to the North Pole. Zuko clung onto this news of course, and he rushed the crew back onto the ship with the supplies, eager to get started.

"Do you really think a storm's coming?" asked Zuko, as though he already knew my answer.

"No, not really," I admitted, checking behind me to make sure that Iroh wasn't listening in. Zuko laughed slightly at my paranoia and leaned in toward my face, kissing my cheek.

Sure enough, black clouds were gathering in the sky ahead of us. When Zuko saw this, he groaned angrily, but Iroh was looking pleased with himself. Zuko and a Lieutenant were arguing about changing course of the ship. I knew that it would be a good idea as I heard thunder in the distance; I wasn't a big fan of storms. The wind started to pick up, and it blew my wavy auburn hair into my face.

"Lieutenant, you better learn some respect," hissed Zuko, his face full of anger.

"What do you know about respect? The way you talk to everyone around here, from your crew to your Uncle shows that you don't know a thing about respect. The only person here that even gets half of your respect is that skinny little whore!" the Lieutenant yelled, pointing in my direction. I narrowed my eyebrows and the guard and I spit on the deck, showing my dislike for him. Zuko looked angrier than ever, and took a step toward the Lieutenant, his fists in tight balls.

"Take it back," he snarled, his face only inches from the man in front of him.

"Go to hell, _Prince_ Zuko," the Lieutenant spat, his nostrils flared in rage. And then they were both in different firebending stances, ready to battle. I looked at Iroh, and the both of us ran over to separate the two angry men. I stood in front of Zuko, pushing him slowly backward. His breathing was heavy, and there was a vein that was popping out in his forehead.

"Enough," ordered Iroh, looking annoyed, "We have all been at sea for too long, and we're starting to get restless. It's nothing that a good meal won't fix. Let us all have lunch now." he said sternly, as if he were talking to misbehaving children. The Lieutenant lurched out of Iroh's grip and stormed off in the opposite direction. Zuko glared after him, not breaking his gaze until the Lieutenant disappeared below deck. I sighed and patted Zuko's muscular chest with one hand, backing away to let Iroh speak with him.

"I want him off my ship," spat Zuko as soon as Iroh reached his side.

"Prince Zuko, he is a very hard-working man. I'm sure that you two will-" Iroh began, but Zuko cut him off immediately.

"No, Uncle. He not only disrespected me, but he disrespected Kiyah, who had nothing to do with the argument. I want him off my ship," Zuko repeated the last sentence with more force than the first time, and Iroh hung his head.

"As you wish, Prince Zuko." he said, defeated.

As the storm raged overhead, Zuko and I took refuge in his bedroom. It was larger than mine, but not by much. There were velvet hangings of the Fire Nation symbol on the walls, a bamboo dresser in the left corner, a writing desk in the right, and in the middle of the room was a large bed. We sat down, stumbling slightly as the ship rocked from the violent waves in the ocean. He took my hand in his, and stroked the top of it with his thumb, looking down. I shifted my position and scooted closer to him, lifting his head up.

"What's bothering you?" I asked gently, looking straight into his amber eyes. He moved his head down again.

"I don't want to talk about it," he whispered, looking at our hands.

"Zuko," I started softly, pulling his face back up to stare into mine, "You and I have been through so much already. You can tell me anything," I smiled, squeezing his hand. He sighed deeply, squeezing my hand back.

"This storm just brings back a bad memory," he stated after a while, "A memory of the day I got my scar," he breathed, looking down again. I bit my lip, curious to know how he had acquired the deep burn scar on his left eye.

"What happened?" I asked after a while, not wanting to offend him. He looked into my concerned face and took a deep breath, ready to tell his story. He told me of going into a meeting with his father and many other powerful men in the Fire Nation's army. One of them said something terrible, and Zuko interrupted him with an outburst of what he would be doing wrong. All of them looked at him, aghast, and Zuko knew he was in trouble. He was then to face the man that he interrupted in Agni Kai. Zuko wasn't afraid until he saw that the man wasn't anyone else but his own father. Zuko refused to fight him, and in turn, he received his scar. Zuko was then banished from the Fire Nation, and would only be accepted back into it when he had caught the Avatar.

I reached out and slowly touched Zuko's scarred flesh: it was soft, like the rest of his skin, but it had an unusual texture to it. The tips of my fingers brushed against the scar, and Zuko reached up, gently taking my hand and bringing back down into my lap. He looked upset, so I leaned into his chest, my head resting just under his chin. He stroked my hair with one hand, and the other rested on the small of my back. I didn't know what to say to comfort him, but I knew that this was enough when he kissed my hair and leaned back against me.

We sat like that for a while, holding each other while the rain beat on the window and thunder roared overhead. This is where I wanted to stay: in Zuko's arms. Wherever he was, I wanted to be there too. I didn't want anything to happen to him, and I would fight for him until the end. Did I love him? No, I couldn't love him. I just felt very strongly about him, that's all. Right?

"Kiyah?" he breathed in my ear, his warm breath tickling my neck.

"Yeah, Zuko?" I asked, snuggling up against him some more, making myself comfortable.

"We're..._together_ aren't we?" he asked this nervously, as though he was afraid of what my answer might be. I smiled and tilted my head back, looking up at him.

"Yes," And then I kissed him. He seemed to be taken by surprise at first, but then he kissed back, pulling my body into his and slowly running his hands up and down my back. Then suddenly, there was an urgent knock at the door, and we broke apart, surprised. Zuko called for whoever it was to come in: it was Iroh; drenched to the skin and panting.

"We need your help! The storm is terrible!" he cried. Zuko and I immediately jumped up and headed out the door and up onto the deck.

It was absolute pandemonium; there were waves splashing violently over the deck, drenching everyone in their path. It was pouring the rain, and the thunder and lightning seemed endless. After only five minutes of being out there, I had been knocked down twice by the waves. We all heard a scream from above, and looked up to see one of the crew hanging off of some of the rigging. Immediately, Zuko and the Lieutenant he argued with earlier jumped into action. They both climbed up to where the crewmen was, and pulled him back up onto the ship, together. They then shook hands, and right as soon as Zuko was about to climb back down onto the deck, a massive wave hit me. It knocked Iroh and I both off balance, but since I'm much lighter than Iroh, I went tumbling into the sea.

I screamed right before I was taken under by a violent wave. After what seemed like an eternity, I broke to the surface again, panting and coughing. Sea water didn't taste any better than rotten fish. I heard much yelling from the ship's deck as I was swept away by an undertow. I screamed at the top of my lungs; I was scared to death. I could swim, but I didn't like being in deep water...and that's exactly where I was. I fought to keep my head above water, coughing and retching as the water splashed into my mouth, strangling me.

A boat, a small fishing boat. I swam as fast as I could toward it, I wanted out of the water more than anything. And then I saw him: Sokka! He was struggling in the small boat with an old man at his side. I called out his name and thankfully he looked over toward me. I waved my arms and he did his best to paddle the ship over to me. We kind of met in the middle, and Sokka pulled me aboard. I coughed and retched some more, and a lot of water came out of my mouth.

"What are you doing here!" he called over the roar of the sea.

"Fell overboard!" I called back, holding onto him for support. Then Aang was there in the boat out of nowhere. Sokka hurriedly hands Aang a rope, which he motions for all three of us to hold on to. He airbended back up onto Appa, who was hovering (with some difficulty) about 30 feet above the boat. I hung onto the rope for dear life: if I fell back into the sea, I wouldn't survive, my body was too tired from fighting the waves. Aang pulled us up, but there was a wave. Appa tried his best to dodge it, but he was too slow; the wave took us under and I swallowed water. I couldn't breathe, I couldn't see. I was drowning, and that's all that there was to it.


	13. Chapter 13

**Author's Note**: Sorry it's a little short! I've been super busy with school. Hope you like it! (:

I felt a pulling in my chest, and water rose from my gaping mouth. My eyes snapped open and I started to cough, more water splattering my already soaking wet clothes. Above me sat Katara and Aang, with shocked expressions on their faces. Sokka was behind me, supporting me; my head was in my lap. I finished coughing and gasping for air, and pulled Katara into a hug. She had saved my life, I just knew it. She bended the water out of my lungs so I could breathe again.

"Thank you, Katara. Thank you so much," I sniffled, wiping my nose on my sodden sleeve. Great; this meant that I was already getting sick.

"You're welcome! If Aang and Sokka hadn't brought you straight to me, I don't know what would have happened; you were ghostly white and your lips had turned purple," she said in a worried voice, lifting up from our embrace.

"You really had us worried," croaked Sokka from behind me, pulling me up into a sitting position. I turned to smile at him, and then to Aang and Katara, who were looking much happier than they had when I had first regained consciousness. I thanked Sokka and Aang as well, and then looked around to see where we even _were_. We were in a small cave above the ocean; I knew this because the waves were crashing on some rocks below us. The storm seemed to be over; it was only drizzling outside, and the thunder and lighting had subsided.

"Let's get somewhere warmer," spoke Aang, who was obviously concerned for mine and Sokka's shivering. Within a few minutes, we had all climbed onto a soaked Appa and were heading into the woods below. Momo chittered and climbed into my lap, shaking from being wet. I patted him and pulled him closer to me, and he made a noise of contentedness. We came upon what looked like a ghost town, and settled in at a broken down temple that overlooked the valley of houses below. Nobody could be living here, there was no movement in the houses.

"Kiyah, Sokka, and Aang, strip down," ordered Katara in her motherly voice. We all looked at each other, confused. She gave us a stern look and we all began taking our sopping wet clothes off. Once we were down to our underwear, Katara had already picked up our clothes and was bending the water out of them. Sokka accidentally bumped into me more than once; his muscular, tanned body was warm and made me think of Zuko. I would be reunited with Zuko soon, and all of us knew that. If he was good at anything, it was tracking Aang; and it just so happened that Aang is the person who was standing next to me, half naked.

"Here," said Katara softly, handing us all our clothes back, "now, we have some supplies left, so I'm going to make a stew."

"Sounds good to me!" hinted Sokka, rubbing his toned stomach, "I'm starving!" Katara rolled her eyes and Aang laughed. Aang and I went to find some wood for the fire, and Sokka was left with Katara to help her chop up the vegetables for the stew. Aang and I talked and laughed as we gathered long sticks from the forest floor. Once both of us had armloads of wood, we headed back to the old, broken temple. I started the fire easily, being a firebender, and Sokka cheered; the less time used to make a fire, the less time it would take to finally eat.

Once the stew was finished, Katara pulled out three wooden bowls and spoons. They only carried enough for the three of them, so I happily ate my stew out of a cup. It warmed my body from the inside out; I was freezing. I thanked Katara for cooking and snuggled against Appa, who had grown quite fond of me in the evening that we'd spent together.

"Kiyah, we don't have another sleeping bag, but we have an extra blanket. Would that be okay?" Aang asked hopefully, pulling the fur blanket from the pouch on Appa's saddle. I raised up and took it from his outstretched hands.

"Of course, Aang," I said, "All three of you saved me, I'm not worried about a stupid sleeping bag." I smiled, poking him in the chest.

"No, you take my sleeping bag, Kiyah. It's a lot warmer than this blanket." chimed in Sokka, who was sitting on top of Appa. He slid down with the light blue sleeping bag in his hands, and handed it to me.

"No, Sokka! This is yours, and you're going to sleep in it!" I refused his offer because I would feel terrible if he gave his sleeping bag up to me. He sighed and smiled, moving over toward me and taking the blanket from my hands.

"We'll sleep kinda close, so that you don't freeze tonight, okay?" he reasoned, giving me the most adorable smile ever. I giggled and agreed, taking the blanket back from him. It's not like we were "sleeping together". We were only friends, and there was nothing romantic going on. I still wasn't going to tell Zuko about this, I figured he might be angry with me.

All of us laid down on Appa, who was extremely warm and soft. Aang laid on his saddle, Katara near his tail, and Sokka and I laid on his massive side. I started to cough in the middle of the night, and got up to put more wood on the fire; I was absolutely freezing. I must have woken Sokka when I slid from Appa's side, because he sat up, coughed, and whispered for me to come back over to him. I nodded and laid down next to him, shivering. Sokka wrapped the blanket around me and held me to keep my teeth from chattering. I willingly snuggled up to him, thankful for his warmth. I easily fell asleep after that; I was comfortable.

The next morning, both Sokka and I were sick. I wasn't as bad off as Sokka, who was almost delirious to everything around him. He had a fever, cough, and runny nose. I didn't have the fever yet, but the runny nose and cough were something that I couldn't ignore. Katara was mopping Sokka's forehead with a wet rag, and Aang was pacing, obviously worried.

"Being out in that storm really did a number on you two," said Aang, walking over to Katara, Sokka, and I.

"Yeah, I'm miserable," I sniffed, wiping my nose on the handkerchief that Katara had given me.

Aang had gone exploring in the deserted village and had found a map. There was an herbalist institute on the mountain across from us, and he was certain that we could find a cure there. Since Sokka was in no condition to travel, and Katara had started feeling bad too, it was up to Aang and I to get medicine from the herbalist.

Aang grabbed his glider, explained to me to hold on as tightly as I could, and opened it. Just as we were about to start flying, an enormous bolt of lightning struck. With our eyes wide, we decided that being struck down by lightning wasn't something that we wanted to do today. We started walking; there were many swamp frogs jumping around in the rain, and in no time, we had reached the top of the mountain. We ran into an older woman, who was mixing some herbs into a small wooden bowl. Aang immediately began to speak.

"Hi! I'm sorry that we barged in like this, but I need some medicine for my friends. They're getting really sick -" he said very fast.

"Settle down, young man. Your friends are going to be fine!" she smiled, turning toward us, still stirring the contents of the bowl, "I've been up here for over forty years now, there used to be others, but they all left years ago. Now it's just me and Miyuki!" she chortled, petting a fat, fluffy white cat.

"That's a big cat," I commented, getting weaker and weaker. I felt like I was going to collapse.

"Oh yes, Miyuki loves to eat," she said, bustling around and grabbing different plants.

"Are you almost done?" asked Aang, looking worriedly at me from the side.

"Hold on, I just need to add one last ingredient," she explained, picking what I recognized as a plum blossom. She mashed the plum blossom into the rest of the ingredients and turned toward Aang and I.

"Thanks!" said Aang excitedly, grabbing for the bowl. The old woman wrinkled up her face and slapped Aang's hand away.

"What do you think you're doing?" she said somewhat angrily, jerking the bowl back toward herself.

"Getting the cure for my friends!" said Aang defensively, clearly confused. The old woman laughed.

"This ain't no cure! This is Miyuki's dinner!" she cackled, setting down the bowl in front of the fat cat.

"Your friends just need to suck on some frozen wood frogs," she explained, "You'll find a bunch of them down in the valley swamp. Just don't let them thaw out! They're useless after that," she smiled.

Aang and I thanked her and set back off down the mountain. I didn't know how much longer that I could go on; hopefully we would make it to the swamp before Aang had to support me. When we finally reached the swamp, Aang and I stepped into the knee-deep water. He began scooping frozen frogs into his pockets, while I leaned back against a damp tree.

A slight wooshing sound passed my ears and I looked over at Aang, who had picked up an arrow that had bounced off of a large rock. I furrowed my brow, but no sooner than I had seen where the arrow had come from, there were more coming toward us. I was weak, but I jumped to push Aang out of the way of the shower of incoming arrows. I fell down into the water, and it splashed up over my head. I looked up at Aang, who was being pinned to a tree by more arrows. And then...a stabbing pain in my ribs.


	14. Chapter 14

I gasped and looked down, my eyes wide. There was an arrow sticking out of my side on the left, and blood was spreading over my clothes from the new wound. Everything was foggy now. There were now three men wading through the swamp toward Aang and I, bows ready to fire. Once they saw that we were now no threat, they quickly stuffed the bows away and walked closer. A net was thrown over Aang, he was hit hard in the temple, and knocked out. I gasped in horror and clutched my bleeding side; I was too sick and weak to fire bend against these men.

Then, one of them rounded on me and crouched to look me in the face. I tried to scuttle backward away from him, but I was in too much pain. He looked at me, nodded, and reached down to where I was wounded. He pulled the arrow straight out of my ribs with a slashing noise, and even more blood started pouring out. I whimpered and frantically moved both of my hands over the puncture wound, trying to stop the blood.

"You come with us," he said, pulling me up by the arm. Come where? I didn't know where he was going to take me, but it might have been better than bleeding to death in a swamp. When he pulled me to my feet, I was very unsteady. My knees almost instantly buckled, and I fell again. The man pulled me up again, this time supporting my dead weight. He pulled me onto his back, my arms wrapped around his neck, and my feet dragging the ground. My eyelids drooped, and I saw no more.

I fluttered my eyes open and looked around: I was in some kind of prison hold! I tried to move, but my hands were tied to the wall above me. I panicked and screamed, fire shooting out of my mouth. I looked around the room to try and find a way out, but Aang was in the same situation as me.

"Kiyah!" he shouted, struggling against his ropes, "we have to get out of here! Can you reach my ropes from there?" he asked, shifting nervously. I bit my lip, thinking.

"Maybe...but I don't want to burn you," I said uncomfortably, looking up at my own bonds. Rope! I burned the rope from around my wrists and dropped gracefully to my feet. I was still extremely weak, but I knew I had to get Aang out of here. I ran over to where he was tied up, and bended little streams of fire to burn the rope from around Aang's wrists and ankles. He jumped down as I burned the rope from around his feet, and pulled me into a hug. I smiled and hugged him back.

Once we had let go of each other, the door burst open, and there stood a figure in a blue mask. I gasped and clutched my side in pain. It was no longer bleeding, but a mixture of wet and dried blood stood on my shirt. The figure motioned us toward the door, and we followed, slightly confused. We walked silently through the corridors, many of the guards tied up or knocked out. This guy must have really wanted to save us. But why?

We reached a large hole in the floor at the end of one of the corridors, and the man motioned for us to jump into it. Aang wrinkled up his nose in disgust, but we all jumped in. It must have been a sewer system of some sort, because there was flowing water and it lead underneath of the fortress. The man lead us through the sewer, bringing a finger to the lips on his mask as we reached a grate. The grate was over our heads, and many guards walked across it. Aang and I obeyed, not wanting to get caught.

Once we had reached the end of the sewer, we climbed out, everything below our knees soaking wet. Thankfully, the opening of the sewer was in an extremely dark corner of the fortress's courtyard. There were high walls everywhere, and I had no idea how we were going to get out without being detected. The man pulled a long rope from the side of the sewer, and chucked it over the wall in front of us. It must have had some sort of hook on the end, because there was a soft clanking noise as it hit the other side of the wall. The man beckoned me forward first, helping me get a good hold on the rope to climb up. Just the man and Aang began to follow me, guards swarmed at the bottom of the rope, but that was the least of our worries; a soldier appeared at the top of the wall and cut the rope, sending us all screaming to the guards below. I landed on the man with the mask, and he gently but quickly helped me to my feet. And then I heard a voice...a terrible voice that made the hair on the back of my neck stand on end.

"The Avatar and the Governor's daughter are escaping! Close all gates immediately!" It was Zhao, and he was obviously very upset. Anger flooded through me and fire shot out of my nose. But I didn't have time to be angry; the gate was closing in front of us, and we had to get out. Aang pulled me forward, calling for the man to stay close to us, and we ran toward the gate as fast as we could. My side seared with pain, but I kept running. Aang looked backward and saw that the man had been caught up in a melee battle. Aang told me to stay where I was, and ran back to help the man. Aang airbended the guards away from the man, pulled him over to me, and grabbed my arm. He airbended us over the wall! I was shocked that he could do such a thing, and stumbled once my feet hit the stone. Guards instantly rushed us; I sent a large jet of fire at them, causing them all the jump from the wall to protect themselves. I smirked and turned to Aang and the man. Aang then ordered the man and I to grab onto him. He brought his staff from behind his back, and both the man and I grabbed onto Aang. The guards were throwing spears at us, and Aang was knocked off balance. I screamed as we fell to the ground, and I landed hard on my ass. That was going to hurt tomorrow...if I lived.

The many guards came running toward us, and back to back, all three of us started into battle. I kicked the sword out of one guard's hands and send a streaming jet of fire toward the others who were coming toward me. They all ran away from the fire, and I jumped at them again, punching and kicking my way through them. Again, my side ached with unbearable pain. I knew I couldn't stop, but I fell to the ground in agony, clutching the wound. With all of my movement, it had opened up again, and was bleeding everywhere. I whimpered, ready for one of the guards to come and take me back to Zhao...but it never happened. The man in the mask was fighting off the guards around me, protecting me in my state of weakness. Once most of the guards were either knocked out or injured, Aang picked me up with some difficulty, and all of us ran to the wall. Once we reached it, we climbed the wall, and we were free. The man in the mask had been knocked unconscious by a flying arrow, but Aang and I dragged him far away from the fortress and into a clearing.

"He might need some medical attention," I panted, clutching my side. Aang nodded, and took off the man's mask. We both gasped in horror and surprise. It was Zuko...

I immediately hugged the unconscious body, stroking his hair as I did so. I knew that it may not be a good idea for Aang to be there when Zuko woke up, so we hugged and I bade him goodbye. After promising that we would see each other again, Aang left. I laid on the forest floor with Zuko until he awakened. His amber eyes fluttered open and he sat up quickly.

"Where's the Avatar!" he asked angrily, fire shooting out of his nose, "What happened!" he demanded. I was hurt that he didn't seem so happy to see me. I explained that he had been knocked out, and that Aang had gone away once he had seen who the man in the mask was. Of course, this last part was a lie, but I didn't want to disappoint Zuko. He rubbed his eyes and buried his face in his hands.

"I thought I had him this time," he whispered, obviously upset at himself. I squeezed his shoulder and leaned in close to his face. We stayed like this for a while, and then he looked up at me and pulled me into a hug. I smiled and weakly hugged him back.

Zuko lead me back to the ship, supporting every bit of my weight. After I bathed, Iroh cleaned my wound and wrapped large bandages around my whole torso. I followed Zuko to his room and laid with him. He was still very upset, and ordered that there be no disturbances.

We lay facing each other, his hands cupping my face. He kissed me gently, and we both closed our eyes for a much-needed sleep.

**Author's Note**: I'm so sorry it took me so long to post this, guys. I've been really busy with school this week, and I haven't had much time to write. Thanks so much for your love and support of this fanfic, it really makes me happy that you all like it so much. Please excuse me for not posting as often because of my busy schedule! But I swear that the chapters won't be too far apart!


	15. Chapter 15

"Where did you get that?" I asked Zuko angrily, narrowing my eyebrows and blowing out through my mouth.

"I didn't take it! She dropped it, and I picked it up," he said, tucking the blue necklace back into his uniform. Zuko had Katara's necklace, and he was just getting around to showing it to me. I sighed and leaned my forehead against his chest. I couldn't see his face, but I knew Zuko had smiled as he pulled me closer to him.

We had been at sea for two days when Zuko ordered that the crew turn around; he had a gut feeling that Aang was still at the place that we'd left. Why? I'm not sure. I just wanted to get off of the ocean and back onto land. Ever since the storm, I was very uncomfortable around the water. Why? Well, I kinda almost drowned, dummy. Think about it.

Zuko and I walked out onto the ship's deck. It was barely light outside, and I mentally cursed Zuko for waking me up this early. I yawned and stretched, leaning sleepily against the side of the deck. The water was calm this morning, so I wasn't bothered by it much.

"I really missed you," said Zuko, pacing the deck nervously. I smiled to myself.

"And why is that?" I asked playfully, wiping a strand of hair out of my eyes. Zuko stopped pacing and turned to me with a questioning look.

"What happened, anyway?" he asked, dismissing my joke and walking over to me.

"What do you mean?" I questioned, wearing the same look that he was.

"What happened after you fell overboard? I saw you swimming away from the ship, and then I saw the Avatar and his bison...but nothing else." he whispered the last part, as though the thought was painful. I took his hand in mine and rubbed the top of it with my thumb.

"There was a fishing boat," I began, not wanting to say anything that would upset him, "and since the waves were carrying me toward it, I started swimming. As it turns out, Sokka and an old man were on the boat -" Zuko cut me off.

"Who's Sokka?" he asked suspiciously, raising an eyebrow. I giggled slightly at his apparent jealously.

"The Water-Tribe boy," I explained, shaking my head. Zuko nodded and I continued.

"Anyway, Sokka pulled me into the boat, and then Aang and Appa got to us. Aang jumped down into the boat, gave us a long rope, and told us to hang on. Then airbended back up onto Appa and pulled us with him."

"Yeah?" said Zuko, obviously yearning to hear more.

"And then a wave came...and took us all under. All I remember is not being able to breath, and sucking in water. I woke up in a cave with Katara over me...she waterbended the sea water out of my lungs. She saved my life," Zuko had a look of absolute horror on his face. He pulled my body into his and wrapped his arms around me, squeezing tightly. I was taken by surprise, but I hugged him back. He hugged me for a long time, and then held me at an arm's length.

"Why didn't you tell me any of this?" he demanded, his voice more hurt than angry. My eyes widened, and I immediately felt terrible.

"I didn't want to upset you!" I replied sadly. Zuko kept looking at me in the same way for a while, and then his eyes softened and he pulled me into another hug. This hug wasn't quite as tight, but it was very warm and compassionate.

"I'm sorry, Zuko," I whispered into his hair, kissing his cheek.

"It's okay, Kiyah," he whispered back, holding me close.

I screamed and many members of the crew scattered as what I recognized as a shirshu jumped onto the deck, smelling around. We had only been docked for about an hour, and this happens? A woman in leather with black hair stepped off of the shirshu and whipped her whip threateningly.

"Get back!" she shouted, "We're after a stowaway!"

"There are no stowaways on my ship." spat Zuko in disgust. And just as he spoke, the shirshu ripped open the deck and jumped beneath it. The woman followed, there was the sound of whimpering and ruckus, and then they both emerged, the woman dragging a man by his collar.

"He's paralyzed," I pointed out, looking down at the man. His eyes were moving, but his didn't seem to be able to move any other part of his body.

"Yeah, but the toxin will wear off in about an hour. But by then, I'll have my gold and he'll be in jail." the woman smiled, patting me roughly on the shoulder.

"How did you find him here?" demanded Zuko, his eyes fierce.

"My shirshu can smell a rat a whole continent away," she spat.

She then dragged the man onto the shirshu, jumped on its back, and they were gone just as quickly as they had come.

"My ship!" shouted Zuko, running over to inspect the damage. There was quite a large hole in the center of the deck, and there were pieces of wood strewn everywhere. Zuko cursed about the damage done to the deck for about five minutes, and then turned toward Iroh and I, who were just watching.

"If that monster can smell a rat a continent away...it can track the Avatar!" he stated in amazement.

After about 15 minutes, Zuko, Iroh, and I were heading into the little village where we were docked. It was dark now, but I had the feeling that it wouldn't be very hard to find that woman and her shirshu. I was right. The shirshu was sitting happily outside of a small pub that was crowded with many people. Zuko and Iroh walked into the pub, but I stayed outside, interested in the shirshu. I walked up to it slowly, holding a hand out in front of me. The shirshu cocked its head to the side and made a strange noise. I jumped back a little, not wanted to become paralyzed but the creature's long tongue. I walked back up to its large head, and laid a hand on its massive snout. The shirshu immediately made a noise of contentedness and leaned in closer to me, wanting to be petted some more. I smiled to myself and took the creature's large head in my arms, rubbing its snout.

I let go of the shirshu and began walking into the pub, when Zuko, the woman, and Iroh all walked back out. Zuko explained that the woman, whose name was June, would be leading us to Aang by the scent of Katara's necklace. I sighed as he helped me climb onto the shirshu, right behind him. The shirshu was big, but I wasn't completely sure if it could hold all four of us. I was immediately proven wrong as June cracked her whip and we sped onward, away from the pub.

Hours passed, and we visited places that Aang, Sokka, and Katara had been. We visited the herbalist that told Aang and I about the frogs, a fortune-teller's hut, and finally, a large courtyard. The shirshu stopped and began sniffing around in circles. Sokka and Katara appeared from behind a large wall and stopped at the sight of us.

"The Avatar! Where is the Avatar!" demanded Zuko, rounding on Sokka and Katara. I stepped behind Zuko, my eyes wide. They were always together...where was Aang?

"He's not with us! He's gone!" shouted Sokka, pulling on Katara's arm.

"How stupid do you think I am?" snapped Zuko, walking slowly closer to them.

"Preeeeetty stupid. Run!" he ordered Katara, and they set off in the direction of the gate. I started to run after them, but the shirshu whipped them both with its tongue and they fell to the ground, paralyzed. I gasped and ran over to them, crouching between the two fallen bodies. They were both face down, so I turned them over. Their eyes were staring around frantically.

"Hey Kiyah," said Sokka's muffled voice. I smiled and patted his arm, and then turned to Katara, who was staring behind the shirshu.

"Aang!" she shouted, her eyes wide.

And there he was, flying into the courtyard on his glider. The shirshu snapped at him, but missed, and landed flat on its back. Zuko and Aang were now engaged in battle, while June was doing her absolute best to guide the shirshu in his direction, to paralyze him. I gasped and ducked as a large barrel was thrown in mine, Sokka, and Katara's direction. Luckily, it missed all of us, and shattered on a wall behind us, sending wood everywhere.

"Hey! I'm starting to get some feeling back in my arms!" said Sokka excitedly, wiggling them around a little bit. The battle above our heads showered us with glass tiles. "Ow!"

"Here, smell of this!" An old woman appeared out of nowhere, carrying a small bottle of perfume. She moved the bottle under each of their noses, and they could move again. I was impressed. Sokka pulled me up and twirled me around in a tight hug, and Katara jumped on me as soon as Sokka put me down.

"We missed you!" they said together. But there was no time to talk, there was chaos going on around us, and I had no idea what to do, until I noticed the huge, untouched barrels of perfume standing in the corner of the courtyard.

"The perfume! The shirshu can see smells, we have to dump the perfume onto the ground, it'll go crazy!" I shouted over the ruckus going on, and all of us ran over to the barrels, knocking them to the ground. The shirshu immediately started lashing its long tongue everywhere, hitting both Zuko and June. I ran over to Zuko, cradling his head in my lap. I couldn't risk the shirshu stepping on him, so I protected him the best that I could.

Aang, Sokka, and Katara all jumped onto Appa, who appeared out of nowhere. Sokka looked back at me sadly, but turned his head and looked away as Appa took flight. The shirshu was now laying on the ground, whimpering, with its massive paws over its nose. I felt bad for it now that Aang, Sokka, and Katara were safe.

Zuko started to move slightly, and looked over at Iroh, who was laying with an arm around June.

"Uncle, I didn't see you get hit with the tongue," he said, confused.

"Shhh!" said Iroh, looking very happy.


	16. Chapter 16

**Author's Note**: _Sorry it took me so long! I had terrible writer's block. Next chapter should be out this weekend! (:_

The moon was almost all the way full. I stood on deck, clothed in a form-fitting pair of gray pants that ended at my ankles, and a thick, long-sleeved cotton shirt to match. My pants were tucked into the tops of the boots so that they wouldn't drag the ground. We were getting much closer to the North Pole, therefore the nights were getting colder, and I could see my breath. It was music night on the ship, but I didn't want to be apart of the joy and the warmth that everyone was sharing. I wanted to be alone. I know, I know, that's not like me. I just had a gut feeling that something was wrong. Was something bad going to happen?

Zuko walked slowly out from the door up the ladder from me, and closed it, muffling the music coming from inside. I looked up at him, sighed, and leaned back over on the edge of the ship, face in my hands. He jumped down, landing with a soft thud next to me, and placed a hand on my shoulder.

"Come on, Kiyah. You love music night," he coaxed. He had been trying to get me to join in on the fun for at least an hour now. I turned toward him and gave a weak smile, leaning into him. He stroked my long auburn hair and tilted my face up, so that we were staring into each others eyes.

"You can play the sumki horn," he smiled, slightly amused. The sumki horn was not my instrument; last time I tried to play it, I fell over from its weight. I laughed and shook my head, breathing deeply.

After a while I agreed to go with him to enjoy the music, but that didn't last long. Something hit the ship, sending everyone off balance. I fell backward into Iroh, knocking him over into a stack of chairs, and Zuko ended up with a broken drum on his head. We all quickly straightened up and ran to the deck to find the source of the calamity.

"Zhao!" Zuko shouted angrily, stepping in front of me protectively. Iroh immediately joined Zuko's side, and he too, held out arms to shield me from Zhao. Did I really come off as this helpless?

"Prince Zuko!" Zhao laughed wickedly, stepping onto our ship from his, "How splendid to see you again!" he chortled. I couldn't see Zuko's face, but I knew he was glaring.

"What do you want?" Zuko demanded, stepping backward, closer to me.

"I am taking your crew. I have recruited them for a little journey to the North Pole," he smiled wickedly, showing his teeth. I shut my eyes tight, I didn't want to have to look at that man for one more second. I wanted to kill him. I wanted to tear him limb from limb.

"You're what!" shouted Zuko, his voice echoing over the snow-covered mountains that surrounded us.

"I'm sorry that you won't be there to see me when I've captured the Avatar, but I can't have you or the filth standing behind you get in my way again," Zhao spat, wrinkling his nose in disgust at me. I bared my teeth, and my nostrils flared. I was ready to fight.

And so Zhao marched the whole crew off of our ship and onto his, giving me tortured looks of longing as he went. I turned, shooting fire out of my nose. I wasn't afraid of him anymore, I just hated him. Zuko glared after him as he walked back onto his much larger Fire Navy ship, bowing to Zuko, Iroh, and I, and turned away, shouting orders to his crew members to dock about a half mile away from us. Zuko punched and kicked the metal siding of the ship, cursing at the top of his lungs and sending fire out toward the sea. Zuko stalked off to sit in his room, leaving Iroh and I standing on the deck. I sighed and turned toward Iroh, my eyes sad. I felt so terrible for Zuko.

Iroh and I decided to take a walk to clear our heads, but I wanted to invite Zuko first. I walked into his room, where he was laying on his bed, facing the wall. I sat down at the end of the bed and waited for him to turn toward me.

"I hate him," he whispered, turning over onto his back to face me. I lowered my eyes, looking at the floor.

"I hate him too," I responded, placing a hand on his leg. I looked back up at Zuko and sighed.

"What is it?" he asked casually, sitting up.

"Let's just...go for a walk and clear our heads. Your Uncle says that it's the best thing to do," I gave a weak smile, already knowing what his answer would be. He exhaled and laid back down onto the bed, facing the wall again. I squeezed the top of his muscular leg and got up, walking slowly from the room, closing the door behind me.

Iroh and I walked around in the woods for a while, talking about what we should do, and how to keep me away from Zhao for as long as possible. Iroh had overheard some of Zhao's crew talking about the different ways in which he planned to kill me. He was going to take my head to my father. When Iroh told me this, I lashed out at a nearby tree, leaving a deep gash in both the bark and my hand. I didn't feel any pain, I was too angry. Iroh looked at me sadly, but said nothing. BOOM.

I snapped my head in the direction of the noise. Where Zuko's ship had been, there was now a large fireball. I screamed at the top of my lungs and started running down the bank. Tears blurred my eyesight, but I didn't care; I had to get to Zuko. Now. I stumbled, tripped, and started rolling down the small hill. I clawed at the dirt to try and stop, but when I finally had, I was at the bottom. I ran as fast as I could toward the ship, a small amount of blood running out of my right nostril.

I ran into the cold ocean water, moving flaming debris around, looking for Zuko. Once I got a little deeper, I went under water and opened my eyes. The sea water burned my eyes as I swam around frantically, looking for any sign of Zuko. I was running out of breath, I couldn't stay under much longer. I surfaced, gasping for breath, my teeth chattering.

"ZUKO!" I sobbed, treading water the best that I could. "ZUKO!" I screamed. I was now sobbing and yelling at the top of my lungs. The only person that ever truly cared about me was dead. Gone forever. I didn't want to swim to shore...I just wanted to keep treading water until I couldn't anymore. I wanted to sink into the dark depths and never come up again.

"KIYAH! GET BACK HERE!" shouted Iroh from the shore. I looked back at him and started sobbing even harder. Zuko was all that Iroh had, too. I couldn't just leave him alone...not after all that he had done for me. I swam back to shore, and once I got to the sand, I dropped to my knees, my shoulders shaking with sobs. Iroh leaned down toward me, a large hand on my trembling shoulder. I looked up at him, and saw that a single tear was making its way down his cheek.

Neither of us noticed, but a small boat was making its way toward the two of us. It obviously came from Zhao's ship, but I didn't care about that either. He wouldn't try anything with Iroh protecting me, and with the way that I was feeling, I could take on the world single handed. I knew Zhao had something to do with Zuko...


	17. Chapter 17

Iroh and I climbed into the small boat with two crew members that, before tonight, ran the ship that Zhao had just blown to smithereens. I gave a dry sob, and buried my face in my sopping wet sleeves. I was shivering now from being out of the water for so long, so I wrapped my arms tightly around myself. Iroh put a hand on my back as I looked down at the bottom of the boat.

"General Iroh! Kiyah!" whispered one of the men urgently. Why they were whispering, I didn't know. We were a good 30 feet from the large ship. Both Iroh and I gave him our attention.

"Admiral Zhao is planning on taking you to the North Pole as a general, if you accept," he said quickly to Iroh, who nodded interestedly, "And Kiyah, he is not going to kill you immediately. But he is planning on keeping you tied up in a prison cell at the bottom of the ship," the man said as we reached the bottom of the vessel. I took a deep breath and nodded at Iroh as two ropes with hooks were thrown down to us from above. The crew members hooked the ropes to the circular slots on either side of the boat, and we began to be hoisted upward.

"I will not let anything happen to you, Kiyah," whispered Iroh. I nodded again, breathlessly, extremely nervous about what was about to happen. I bared my teeth and my heart was beating very fast in my throat. We were almost to the top now. I clenched my fists, ready for a struggle, and oh boy did it come.

"Get her!" Zhao screamed as soon as the boat was level with the deck. I flared my nostils, and sent fire at the three guards who immediately ran forward, attempting to grab me. Iroh and the two crew members jumped out of the boat and onto the deck, away from the battle. I ran at the guards who were trying to get a good hold on me, punching, kicking, and sending fire at all three of them. I caught one of them in the jaw with a hard kick, and he fell over backward with a loud thump. Another one of the guards grabbed my shoulder very tightly. I let out a cry of pain and grabbed his arm, quickly ducking and flipping him over in front of me. The last guard sent jets of fire at me, but I danced gracefully out of the way. I didn't feel like fighting with fire of my own; I ran at the guard full speed as he sent more fire my way. I front-flipped forward, kicking the guard in the chest with both feet. He too fell to the ground, unmoving with a large dent in his metal uniform where I had kicked him.

I turned to Zhao, who looked furious, but had a flicker of fear in his eyes, and I sprinted toward him. He sent fire my way, but I ran in a zigzag formation, away from the gout of flames coming toward me. I screamed in anger and rage, and brilliant blue flames shot out of my mouth toward Zhao. During our training, Iroh had told Zuko and I that blue fire was rare. Only when a firebender had reached a certain point of rage or pain, they could produce it, and I just did. I didn't stop to gawk like everyone else though, I threw myself on Zhao and wrestled him to the ground. He took Zuko away from me, and I was going to kill him for it.

I straddled him, holding onto his large body with my knees, and started I punching him in the face repeatedly. I screamed and sobbed as I did it, punching harder and harder, until finally...I couldn't find the strength to do it anymore. Zhao then kicked me off of him and crawled on top of me, striking me very hard in the face. A drop of his blood fell onto my forehead, but that's all I remember.

I opened my eyes slowly; I was in the same dimly lit cell that Zhao had me thrown into after he had raped me. I sat up quickly, but immediately cried out in pain. Both my head and face were very sore from crying and from the horrible blow that I had received from Zhao. If Zuko were with me he'd –

My eyes filled with tears at the thought of Zuko. His warm, amber eyes seemed to be burned into my memory, and I would have given anything for one more kiss.

"Kiyah!" he whispered. Great, I was going insane now. I could still hear him talking.

"Kiyah!" he whispered more urgently. Wait, what? I looked toward the direction of Zuko's voice and saw him standing at the bars of my cell with a guard's outfit on. I gasped and got up and ran to the bars, the tears of sadness in my eyes turned into tears of extreme happiness. The bars were far apart, so I reached out of them to grab onto Zuko. I had to make sure that he wasn't just a figment of my imagination...I had to make sure that he was real. And he was. He pulled me into a tight hug and kissed my forehead.

"Listen, I can't stay here long. I just wanted you to know that I'm okay, and that I'm going to get you out of there," he breathed into my hair; We were still clinging to each other.

"How did you live through that!" I asked, more tears streaming out of my eyes.

"I jumped out of that big window in my room and kept swimming until I saw Zhao's ship. I saw what you did to him, by the way. Nice work!" he complimented, letting me go, but still holding onto my hands.

"Thanks," I smiled, hoping that Zhao was in severe pain. I squeezed both of his hands

"My Uncle is going to lead the Fire Navy into the North Pole, where the Northern Water-Tribe is," he continued quickly, looking over his shoulder, "The Avatar is there, and I'm not going to let Zhao get to him before I do. You stay here and behave, okay? I'll come back and see you as soon as I can," he promised, squeezing my hands tighter than I had squeezed his only seconds before. Zuko then leaned in, and his lips crashed into mine. We only kissed for a few seconds, and then he was walking away, a guard's helmet over his head.


	18. Chapter 18

I stayed sitting on my knees at the bars for an hour or more after Zuko left. I was overjoyed that he was alive, but now I had another problem; I was stuck in a prison cell on a ship full of men who had been ordered to seriously injure me if I escaped. I was sure that Zhao was too busy planning to destroy the Northern Water Tribe to hurt me himself. I exhaled slowly through my mouth and moved away from the bars and into a corner of the small cell. I hugged my knees to my chest, and shook my head slightly to move the hair out of my eyes. I looked up at the small square window in the cell, but it wasn't entirely a window; it was a square with bars to keep the prisoner from getting out. No wonder it was so damn cold in this cell, there was winter air blowing right in on me. Shivering, I laid down in my corner and pulled my knees close to my body for warmth. I wasn't wet from being in the ocean anymore, but my hair and clothes were still damp, which made it even colder.

I laid in the corner in the same position for a very long time. As the ship edged closer to the North Pole, I began to see my breath in front of my face. I was sure that this was the coldest I had ever been in my entire life, even since I'd lived in the South Pole for 10 years of my life. I longed for Zuko to come back by my cell and visit me, but he didn't. Once my fingers had gone completely numb from the cold, I'd had enough. I sat up angrily and breathed hard on my frozen fingers, but there was no effect. I moved them around quickly to get the circulation going again, and when they were finally back to normal, I slumped against the wall and sighed. Could this situation get any worse?

My question was answered immediately the next morning when I was rudely awakened by a guard screaming at me to wake up. My eyes snapped open and I jumped a little at the sudden loud noise, but when I saw what was going on, I glared.

"Get up, girl!" the guard ordered again, unlocking the cell. I remained sitting, not sure what the hell he wanted, and why he was waking me up so early in the morning. When I didn't respond, he pulled me up very roughly by my hair.

"Watch it," I threatened when he had let go. I combed my fingers through my tangled hair and grouchily walked from the cell with the guard. But of course, there were five more guards now outside of the bars, and one of them held a pair of small metal shackles.

"Put your hands up in front of you and don't try anything funny," snarled the guard with the shackles. I obeyed, rolling my eyes. The guard then snapped the shackles on my wrists so tight that I cried out in pain; the metal was cutting into my skin.

"Could you not loosen them up a little bit?" I asked irritably, jerking away from him. All six of them laugh wickedly, and I received a hard push in the back, beckoning me forward.

Three guards walked in front of me, and three guards walked behind me. I found it pretty funny that Zhao thought that six grown men could handle me. He thought wrong. I wouldn't attack unless I needed to, and I was going to go for the guard with the keys before anyone else.

I was lead through winding corridors and up a staircase to the deck, where Zhao (whose face I was pleased to see, was badly bruised with blues and purples), Iroh, and many guards stood. There were icebergs floating in the glass-like ocean water, and on the horizon, was a large white palace. We must have reached the North Pole. I looked around some more to find that there were many more Fire Navy ships behind the one that I was on. Were they going to attack?

"Kiyah, your father is very angry with me for not succeeding in killing you," Zhao said in a lazy voice, stepping forward out of his line of men.

"But I do not care, because I am now at a higher ranking than he will ever be," he continued, smiling nastily. I looked at Iroh, who closed his eyes and looked away from me.

"Yeah, and?" I asked angrily, stepping toward Zhao. The shackles were really starting to hurt my wrists now...Zhao laughed and make a few more steps closer to me.

"And," he began, his nasty smile not fading from his face, "I have decided that I am going to keep you as my personal slave girl,"

"Oh, are you?" I spat, glaring into his fierce eyes.

"I am," he smiled; And he struck me across the face. I immediately turned toward him and breathed out heavily, anger rising rapidly in my chest.

"You will wear what I choose for you at all times, you will do as I say, you will sleep in those shackles until I can trust you, and of course, you won't fight back," he ordered, poking me in my scrawny shoulder. I spat in his face and received another painful blow to the side of my face. This wasn't happening; not this time. I looked from Zhao, to Iroh, to the guards who stood in my path, and to the ocean that lay before me. I took a deep breath, looked Zhao in the face, and I kicked him.

Zhao fell into the men behind him, including Iroh, who gave me a thumbs up from under the pile of guards. I took my chance and sprinted to the side of the ship. I looked back to find guards running at me, and I jumped. As I landed in the icy water, I let out a scream; the water seemed to cut through me like many sharp knives. The scream turned only to bubbles as I was still under the water, but as I surfaced, it echoed off the icebergs and mountains around me. My teeth chattering, I began kicking as hard as I could toward the palace that I had seen in the distance. It couldn't have been more than five miles from where I was now, and I would die of hypothermia if I didn't make it soon.

"She won't make it!" yelled Zhao angrily from the ship, "She'll freeze to death!" he shouted. But I wasn't going to let myself freeze to death; I was going to make it.


	19. Chapter 19

I kicked as hard as I could away from the Fire Navy ship, my teeth chattering and my body shaking violently. This would have been a lot easier if I didn't have these stupid shackles on. After about a half hour of swimming through the icy water, I looked back: the ship was now a good distance away from me, and the early morning fog made it seem even farther. I kicked off my boots so that I could swim better, though I knew I would regret it later. My whole body was going numb now, but I did my best to keep swimming toward the palace. I kept telling myself that it wasn't much further, when I knew that I would be swimming for at least another hour. I let out a loud noise of discomfort and frustration, and swam over to a nearby iceberg to rest, but only for a second.

Once I made it over to the giant block of ice, I brought my shackled hands up and sat them on the ice. I let out a small gasp of horror once I did this, because blood immediately flooded over the iceberg. The shackles were so tight on my wrists that they cut into my skin. Good thing I couldn't feel it. My short break was now over; I had caught my breath and I needed to get to the palace.

I began swimming again, my determination was the only thing keeping me going. I had to warn the Water-Tribe of the Fire Nation's attack, I had to find Aang, Katara, and Sokka, and I had to live. As I swam closer and closer to the palace, I seemed to be getting slightly stronger. I knew I would make it now, I _had_ to make it.

I reached a giant set of gates made out of nothing but solid ice, and clambered onto the snow that they sat on. I was shaking more violently than ever, and I was almost sure that if my teeth kept chattering like this, I would bite off my tongue. I had trouble standing up due to the numbness in my body, but once I managed to do so, I knocked very hard on the icy gate. There were men that were stationed on top of them, because the gates opened as soon as I knocked.

"Who are you?" asked one of the guards, pulling out a sword.

"My name is Kiyah," I chattered, walking closer, "I need to see the Chief of the Tribe," I said urgently, trying to push my way past the many guards.

"We do not let just anyone into the Tribe's gates," said the guard, poking me in my frozen shoulder. I glared, raising an eyebrow.

"It's about the Fire Nation," I said, pushing my way through. At this, the guards must have understood, because I was immediately let through. I left bloody footprints as I walked through the many winding courtyards. Like I said, I knew I would regret kicking off my boots; my feet had been cut by the ice. Many of the Water-Tribe villagers gasped at me as I made my way to the large palace in front of me. Once I got there, the guards opened the doors, and I made my way in, where the Chief sat on a large pillow.

"The Fire Nation is going to attack!" I chattered loudly, dripping blood and water into the floor. The Chief looked very alarmed and stood up, walking over to me.

"What do you mean?" he asked, eying me suspiciously.

"The Fire Nation is going to attack," I repeated more slowly, already annoyed. At this, the man ran out of the room and up a flight of stairs, leaving me alone in the large room. I walked out of the palace again, but only to run directly into Katara and Aang.

"Kiyah!" Katara shouted worriedly, looking from my matted, frozen hair to my bloody feet. Aang looked speechless, but he and Katara immediately lead me only feet away from the palace, to a small, warm-looking hut. Looking worried, Aang stood outside while Katara got to work.

Katara bended a stream of water from the pouch that she always kept on her side, and cut through the chain on the shackles. Then, she cut through the heavy metal cuffs on my wrists, freeing my hands at last. It wasn't pretty. Where the shackles had cut into my skin, there were two deep circular cuts all around both of my wrists. Katara gasped and reached into her pocket, pulling out a small bottle.

"This is going to sting, but it'll keep you from getting an infection," she said gently, and she poured a small amount of the liquid on both of my wrists. It did sting a little, but it wasn't bad.

Katara pulled a bag from the corner of the hut, dug into it for a few seconds, and then pulled out some cloth bandages. She wrapped these around my wrists and quickly moved to my feet, dotting the liquid from the bottle on them, and then gingerly wrapping my feet as well. Katara gave me some of her own clothes and a pair of very warm boots. She brushed out my hair and wrapped a blanket around my shoulders, and went outside to get Aang.

I walked slowly out of the hut and into the snow. Aang and Katara stood waiting for me. Sokka and a pretty girl that was about my age stood there as well. Sokka opened his mouth in shock, but did not greet me as he usually did. He stood very close to the girl, who had long white hair and was wearing a scowl. I nervously pulled my hair over my right shoulder and waved.

"What happened, Kiyah?" Aang demanded, looking both very upset and scared at the same time. I immediately began explaining; all four of the people in front of me were listening intently. Once I got to the part where Zhao and I fought, Aang, Sokka, and Katara all smiled encouragingly, while the white-haired girl scoffed and rolled her eyes. What was her problem, anyway?

Sokka finally left the white-haired girl's side, and hugged me tightly. I heard her huff behind him, and I could tell that she already didn't like me.

"I'm glad you're okay, Kiyah," said Sokka, holding me at arms length and smiling.

"We all are," added Aang, smiling warmly over in my direction. I smiled back at all of them; they truly were my friends, and I cared about them just as much as they cared about me.

Only a few hours had passed since Katara patched me up, and the white-haired girl, who I had learned to be Princess Yue, still hadn't warmed up to me, no matter how nice I was to her. When I talked to Sokka, she would continue to glare at me until I turned away or glared back. Did they have something going on? Apparently so.

Once Princess Yue left to go back to the palace, everything was much more like normal. Sokka explained to me that she didn't trust me because I had randomly come into the village and run straight to her father. I could understand her feelings toward me, but still! I was obviously here to help.

Katara and I made a very thick, salty frost-onion soup once night started falling. They had a very unique taste; like regular onions, only sweeter. Sokka, of course, complained that there was no meat in the soup; while Aang, Katara, and I thoroughly enjoyed it with bread from the market. I thought of Zuko while we ate; what he was doing, if he'd been caught by the other guards, and if he was alright. I hoped with all of my heart that he was okay, because I didn't know what I would do without him.

"This is actually pretty good," said Sokka after a while, nudging me in the ribs. I smiled and flicked him softly on the nose.

"Excuse me, but I helped," scoffed Katara, playfully glaring at Sokka.

"Actually, you did most of the work," I giggled, taking another spoonful of the soup, "All I did was stir it and add some herbs," I added.

"Well, whatever," said Sokka through a mouthful of bread and soup, "it's still good...even without the meat."

Once we all cleaned up, Sokka and I went outside together. We talked about everything; where I'd been, where he'd been, and Princess Yue. Apparently, she had been very flirty with Sokka, and he liked her a lot...only to find out that she was engaged to a complete asshole. I felt very bad for Sokka; his eyes had a definate sadness to them when he spoke of this.

"It'll all work out, Sokka, there are other girls, you know," I comforted him the best that I could, and gave him a small hug. He sighed and looked up at the sky, which had a very large mount of soot falling from it. I gasped and looked toward the ocean.

"Fire Nation!"

**Author's Note**: **Apparently I really messed up here and didn't include Kiyah swimming to the North Pole. Sorry for any confusion! 8-7-11**


	20. Chapter 20

Almost as soon as the soot started to fall, huge balls of fire began to fall as well. I pushed Sokka out of the way of a much larger fire ball as it landed right where we had been standing almost 3 seconds before. I had landed in a crouch, while Sokka landed on his butt in a pile of snow. He cursed as he got to his feet, and we ran over to Aang and Katara, who had run out of the hut.

"Appa!" yelled Aang, airbending himself up onto the roof of the hut. Appa replied almost immediately with a roar, and landed heavily on the ground next to us, growling at the fire ball that was still smoking beside him. I patted Appa quickly on the side; I missed him while I was gone.

"What do we do!" asked Katara in obvious alarm, throwing her arms in the air. I bit my lip and climbed quickly up the side of the hut where Aang stood. I saw dozens of Fire Navy ships, all smoking and shooting fire balls at the icy city where so many people lived.

I screamed as another fire ball came toward us, but there wasn't enough time to get out of the way; the flaming ball hit the ice gate and shattered it, sending pieces of ice, cinders, and snow everywhere. The force of the blow knocked me off the hut, only to be caught by Sokka, who was standing almost directly below me.

"Thanks!" I yelled over the noise of more fire balls being shot at the city. Sokka quickly but carefully put me down, and I started running as fast as I could toward the ice gate. As I ran, I watched as Appa and Aang flew over the gate, ready to fight the Fire Navy ships that were waiting in the water. I finally reached the gate, where there were now at least one dozen men standing in a circle and talking very quickly and urgently.

"What do you want!" demanded one of them, rounding on me. I raised my eyebrows impatiently and shoved the man out of the circle.

"I was a prisoner on one of those ships," I growled, pointing over the gate, "And I know what these soldiers are capable of. They're being lead by a man named Zhao, and he's going to try and take over the whole village. Why? I don't know. But we need to hold them off for as long as we can."

"And who are you to tell us what to do?" ordered the man that I had shoved out of the circle of soldiers. I rolled my eyes.

"My name is Kiyah, and I'm trying to save your village. If you don't shut up, _you're_ the one that's going to need saving, because I'm not in the mood, and I _will_ tear you in half," I threatened, my nostrils flaring. The man scowled at me, but didn't speak again.

"Okay, so how many ships are over the wall?" asked a man with dark brown hair.

"I don't know," I sighed, shaking my head, "from what I saw, there are dozens."

The Fire Navy had stopped firing. Once I made it back to Sokka, Katara, and Aang, Princess Yue was there as well. Now was no time to try and be friendly, so I ignored her presence and turned straight to Aang, who was panting heavily.

"I can't do it, Kiyah," he said, shaking his head, "I just can't do it."

"What happened?" I asked, pulling my long hair back into a messy braid.

"Me and Appa must have taken out at least a dozen ships...but there's just too many of them! I can't fight them all by myself!" he stormed, flailing his arms.

"But you're the Avatar! You have to!" cried Princess Yue in despair.

"I'm just one kid," said Aang, hanging his head.

"The legends say that the moon was the first waterbender. Our ancestors tell how it pushed and pulled the tides, and they learned how to do it themselves," said Princess Yue. We all sat inside of a room in the palace, where the moon was shining inside of an open window.

"My waterbending...it's stronger at night," said Katara from the corner of the room.

"Our strength comes from the Spirit of the Moon, and our life comes from the Spirit of the Ocean. They work together to keep balance for all." continued Princess Yue. I stopped pacing the room for a moment to look at her, but started back almost as soon as I had stopped. I knew why she didn't like me; she must know that I was a firebender...she didn't trust me.

"The Spirits!" shouted Aang from a cushion on the floor, startling everyone in the room. "Maybe they can help me!"

"But how?" asked Princess Yue, a puzzled look crossing her pretty face.

"The Avatar is the bridge between the mortal world and the Spirit World," I explained without looking at her.

"But last time...you got to the Spirit World by accident. How are you going to get there this time?" asked Katara, looking confused.

"I have an idea!" shouted Princess Yue, "follow me!"

**Author's Note**: I'm home sick today, so I decided to write this for you guys! Thanks so much for the support, and I'm sorry if this is a little boring; I still have writer's block. Please, please review!


	21. Chapter 21

Princess Yue was taking us to a place that was supposed to be the most spiritual place in the whole of the North Pole. I thought of Zuko, and where he might have been. I prayed that he wouldn't be out in the weather that was to come. The clouds overhead were like thick, black smoke. But this time, it wasn't the Fire Navy, it was an incoming blizzard.

We all walked in silence, Princess Yue leading the way. Aang kept glancing nervously back at me and my blank, worried expression. I smiled weakly at him, letting him know that I was alright.

**Zuko's Point of View****:**

Kiyah was okay. She _was_ okay. My uncle had told me about her jumping from the Fire Navy ship, and I was worried. She didn't know how to use the Breath of Fire like I did...and the water was freezing. I shook my head, hoping that the horrible thoughts would go away, but they didn't. I inhaled the cold air around me deeply, and exhaled sharply. I was almost to the Northern Water-Tribe's city. I was a good 50 yards away from the broken barrier. I watched as many guards were patrolling back and forth along the top of the ice wall; they couldn't see me in the darkness of the ocean, and they couldn't hear the silence of my canoe.

I'd been hearing some stupid turtle seals in the distance, but now they were right at the edges of the canoe. I glared at the noisy animals, watching them. There was a small hole in the ice...and that was where they were going. Turtle seals needed air, right? I beached the small boat on a patch of ice, and quickly got out, standing over the hole. "Where are they going?" I asked myself quietly. "I know they're coming up for air somewhere..." I mumbled. As much as I didn't want the shock of the cold water to my body, I had to get into the city. Not only to find the Avatar, but to see if Kiyah was in there somewhere. I shuddered at the thought of finding out that she wasn't. I took a deep breath, and jumped into the icy water.

**Kiyah's P.O.V.**:

"I never thought I'd miss grass this much!" Aang exclaimed happily, falling to the ground and patting the grass fondly. I smiled weakly, walking over to stand next to Katara. "It's so warm here!" she smiled, taking off her overcoat. "How is that even possible?" she asked. Yue pushed a strand of white hair from her face and turned to Katara. "It's the center of all spiritual energy in our land.

I looked over to the small pond that was only inches from my feet; there were two fish, black and white, circling one another. Momo eagerly ran up to the pond, trying to grab one of the fish. But one look from Katara, and he ran from the pond and up onto my shoulder.

"You're right, Yue. I can feel something here...it's so tranquil." said Aang, who was sitting cross-legged in front of the pond. He made fists and put his knuckles together, ready to meditate. I sat down on a rock nearby, and let out a sigh.

"What's he doing?" Yue asked in fascination. "He's meditating, trying to cross over to the spirit world. It takes all of his concentration." Katara answered quietly as Aang popped open an eye. "Is there any way we can help?" Yue whispered back. Aang sighed in frustration. "How about some quiet! Come on guys, I can hear every word that you're saying!" Katara put a hand over her mouth, and Yue looked around awkwardly. If there was one thing I knew, it was to never interrupt meditation. I once interrupted my father, and received a burn on my wrist in the shape of his large hand.

"Is he okay?" Yue asked after about five minutes. "He's crossing into the Spirit World," Katara whispered. "We just can't move his body, it's his way back to our world." I explained dully, still worried about Zuko. "I don't think anyone asked you, firebender." Yue snapped, rounding on me. I raised my eyebrows at her and stood up. "For one, my name is _Kiyah_." I said slowly, as if I were talking to a small child. "Two, I'm the one that alerted your city about the incoming Fire Nation attack, Ice Bitch." I snapped, not in the mood for any of anyone's crap. Both the "_Princess_" and Katara gasped at the name I'd called Yue.

"Yue, she may be a firebender, but she's on our side." Katara explained, wringing her hands. "How would you know?" Yue spat, now going back on Katara. "Because she's saved my life, Sokka's life, _and_ Aang's life." Katara explained as nicely as she could, despite Yue's bitchy tone. "She has?" Yue asked a bit more softly. "Yes." said Katara, smiling toward me. "She has."

**Author's Note**:

**THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH! I've had so many people to review and favorite this story, and I couldn't be happier with you guys. A very special thanks goes out to darkdaysofsummer who gave me many ideas, and inspired me to start writing again. Please read and review!**


	22. Chapter 22

Yue now accepted me, because I had saved the lives of her three newest friends. She apologized for being so mean to me, and I apologized for calling her an "Ice Bitch". We were all now watching silently as Aang's arrow markings began to glow white. "Should we go and get some help?" Yue asked uncertainly, backing away from Aang a few steps. "No," said Katara calmly, bending down to look at Aang's blank face. "He's my friend, I'm perfectly capable of protecting him." she smiled confidently.

"Oh, so you're finally a big girl?"a voice echoed throughout the chamber of the sanctuary. Yue, Katara and I all looked around for the source of the voice, which sounded strangely like Zuko. "No!" yelled Katara, turning to look in all directions. "Yes!" said Zuko, walking across the footbridge to meet us.

"Zuko!" I yelled in surprise, standing in front of Katara and Yue. He simply looked at me, his amber eyes filled with determination. "Hand him over, and I won't have to hurt you." he spoke directly to Katara, who defensively put her hands up, ready for a fight. "Zuko!" I yelled again, this time more angrily. He turned to me, more alarmed this time. "I _dare_ you to hurt her." I snarled. "I don't want to hurt her," he explained, not taking his eyes off of me. "But I need the Avatar, Kiyah. You know I do." he said softly, as if it were only the two of us standing together. "I know. But I can't let you take him, Zuko. I just can't." I sighed, still standing protectively in front of the girls behind me. In an instant, I came up with a solution: either Zuko could have me, or Aang. He _had_ to pick me. "Zuko. It's either me, or Aang. If you take Aang, then everything that you and I have will be over." I explained, a lump forming in my throat. He then looked down at his feet. "I'm sorry, Kiyah." he muttered.

I gasped as he came down on me, knocking me to the side. I was in too much shock to do anything. I watched mindlessly as Katara and Zuko battled, my heart cracking like ice. He didn't pick me. He would much rather have glory than a girl who loved him endlessly. Wait. Did I just admit to myself that I loved Zuko? No. Because I couldn't love Zuko. Not anymore.

I snapped back into reality as Yue shook me, pointing at a panting Katara and a frozen Zuko. "You've found a master, haven't you?" snarled Zuko through the ice. He then closed his eyes, causing the shell of ice to glow red and orange. It exploded, sending large, broken shards of ice everywhere, including into Yue and I, knocking us down. Zuko charged Katara, shooting fire at her from his hands. The hands that once held mine. I shook my head, trying to clear it, as I waved my arm to block a stream of fire from my face. Zuko and Katara were now trading shots that were missing and heading behind each of the fighters. Unlucky for Yue and I, we were behind Katara and receiving most of Zuko's fire blasts. Yue screamed aloud as Zuko's hand grazed the collar on Aang's shirt. But he was stopped by Katara, who knocked him away from Aang and re-froze him.

The sun was coming up now – we had all been up for the whole night. Zuko's head was now hanging in defeat, but once the sun started to shine into his face, he looked up in fresh determination. He breathed steam from both nostrils, which melted the ice that was holding him in place. Katara, Yue, and I all gasped as he jumped out of the ice and at Katara, knocking her backwards and unconscious. Yue and I ran to Katara, forgetting completely about Aang, and the danger he was in.

A voice made me look up. "You rise with the moon," Zuko said to Katara's stirring form. "I rise with the sun." He then grabbed Aang by his collar and turned to walk away, which caused me to jump up. "Put him down, _now_." I ordered, my voice shaking with fury and despair. Zuko turned to face me, scowling. "Stay out of this, Kiyah." he said angrily, turning back to the bridge. "No!" I yelled, feeling more than rage build up in my body. "You – you would rather have Aang than me?" I asked, clenching my fists. "You would rather be accepted by your father, who gave you the _scar_ on your _face_ than be with someone who actually cares about you?" I screamed, my eyes filling with tears. Zuko then looked down, away from my angry emerald eyes. "I told you," he whispered, looking at the grass below his feet. "I'm sorry."

I screamed at him, tears running down my face. I never knew what heartbreak was like, until this moment. Zuko had just shattered my whole world in two seconds, and he was "sorry"? I fell to my knees, clutching my hair and sobbing into my hands. Yue came quietly over to me and put a hand on my shaking shoulder, letting me know that I wasn't alone. I looked up at the Princess with swollen eyes, and slowly stood up, still weeping.

"I'm going after him," I said, gasping for air in between sobs. "I won't let him take Aang from the people who need him." I choked. Yue looked at me sympathetically and pulled me into a hug. I hugged her back as I cried into her small shoulder. Wiping my nose, I pulled away from her and looked down at Katara, who was now opening her eyes. "I'll be back." I whispered. I then turned and ran in the direction that Zuko was going, my long hair bouncing behind me.


	23. Chapter 23

I trudged through the ankle-deep snow as fast as I could, not intending to lose Zuko's trail. If the blizzard covered up his footprints, I would be absolutely doomed. I'd already survived the cruel waters of the North Pole's ocean, but surviving out here in the terrible snow storm seemed worse. The snow, which felt like dozens of tiny needles, whipped my face as it blew down from the charcoal-gray sky. I pulled the hood of Katara's overcoat over my ears and face, holding it there to protect myself from the icy wind.

My tears, which were now frozen to my face, continued to fall the more that I thought. I cursed myself for getting close to Zuko. But why did I miss him so much already? Was it because of how I felt when I was with him? He'd protected me since we'd met. He was there when nobody else ever had been...and he made me feel like the most special person in the entire world. I gave a dry sob and looked down, making sure that I was still on his trail.

**Zuko's P.O.V.**:

I'd been lugging the Avatar's limp body for over two miles through the roughest terrain in the whole North Pole. The snow beat down on me, making me feel worse than I already did. I'd just ended everything that Kiyah and I had, all for the acceptance of my father, who had treated me worse than anyone. But with the acceptance of my father, I would be back at home again – not constantly traveling or fighting for my life. But at this moment, none of that really mattered. Kiyah mattered. Nothing else.

**Sokka's P.O.V**:

"I can't believe I lost Aang," sniffled Katara, tears brimming her eyes.

"You did all that you could, Katara. Now we need to do all that we can to get him back," I replied, trying not to look worried.

"And what about Kiyah?" asked Yue, biting her bottom lip. "You should have seen her...she was so upset...I've never seen anyone so upset."

"She doesn't need Zuko," I huffed, feeling a small pang of jealously. "He's an asshole, and she's a good person. If he'd rather have the glory of being the one to catch Aang, than be with someone as nice as her, then it's his loss." I spat, wringing my hands.

"I hope that they're both okay," said Katara, looking down at her feet.

"Zuko couldn't have gotten that far in this weather, we'll find him." I smiled, trying to cheer up my sister.

"Okay," she said simply, walking over to Momo, who was chittering softly by the pond. "Stay here Momo, in case Aang comes back."

And with those words, Katara, Yue, and I piled on top of Appa. Yue sat in between Katara and I, and grabbed onto my shoulder before we took off. "We'll find them, Sokka. I know we will." she smiled, squeezing slightly. I smiled back at her pretty face, and looked forward. "Yip-yip!" I called to Appa.

**Kiyah's P.O.V.**:

I shivered uncontrollably in Katara's overcoat, my teeth chattering wildly. The blizzard raged on, and showed no signs of stopping even for a minute. I had to find shelter, and fast, unless I wanted to freeze to death. But suddenly, through the snow, I could see a figure in front of me. A figure that was Zuko! I gasped and began running to him, determined to get an explanation from him, and possibly strangle him to death.

"Hey!" I shouted over the wind. He stopped for a moment, looked around, and began walking forward again. "HEY!" I repeated, running even faster toward him. He stopped again, and dropping Aang onto the frozen ground, he readied himself for a fight. Lucky for me, he still hadn't turned around, so once I reached him, I jumped over Aang and tackled him to the ground.

"What the hell!" he screamed as we fell. I sat on top of him, pinning him down, and began to cry. "Why would you do this to me!" I demanded, breaking down completely. "Kiyah! I'm sorry!" he screamed, obviously shocked at my sudden appearance. "No! Sorry isn't good enough!" I yelled, slamming my small fists into his large chest. "Kiyah! Calm down! I'm sorry!" he screamed again, grabbing me around my ribs and holding me still. I continued to sob, but I rolled off of Zuko, who sat up, massaging his chest.

"Come on, Kiyah! There's a cave 50 yards from here, let's sit down and talk about it!" he coaxed, trying to pull me from the ground. I refused to budge and just laid there, angry and upset. "Kiyah, come ON. We have to get out of this storm!" he said angrily. " 'We' didn't matter to you two hours ago!" I snapped. He'd had enough by now, and started forcefully pulling me up from the ice.

_CRACK._

"What was that?" he asked, looking around. "I don't know!" I yelled over the wind, forgetting completely about everything else but that noise. I looked around, just as Zuko was doing, but saw nothing. "Kiyah, we have to go." he said frantically, reaching around to grab Aang. "What?" I croaked, knowing that there was something wrong. "Run!" he screamed, grabbing my arm and pulling me up. As I twisted around, running with Zuko, I saw what we were running _from_. What we were standing on...wasn't solid ground...it was a frozen lake.


	24. Chapter 24

There was an enormous crack in the ice, and it was headed right for us. Zuko quickly grabbed onto Aang's collar, and we started running. The icy air felt like it was freezing my lungs, and it was getting harder and harder to catch my breath with every step that I took. I prayed that we were getting closer to land when I started seeing tall, frozen bits of blue coral sticking out of the ice; and those plants always grew in shallow water.

I looked behind me as I sprinted; the crack in the ice was only about 10 feet behind us, and it was still coming at full speed. If we fell into the frigid water, we would all very easily freeze to death. My heart beat faster and faster as I pictured both Aang and Zuko's stiff, blue tinted bodies at the bottom of the lake below us. As I silently cursed myself for worrying about Zuko, I realized that he was a good four feet in front of me, and struggling with Aang. I looked down and saw that Aang's pant-leg was caught on a bit of coral, and we were very quickly running out of time.

I dove to the icy ground and began fiddling with the sharp coral, tugging at Aang's pants with my numb fingers as Zuko pulled his limp body. I didn't have long to do this; the rapidly cracking ice was right behind us. If I wasn't fast, we were all screwed. As soon as I had untangled Aang's pants from the coral, I jumped up, ready to start running again. But I was too late. As soon as I was on my feet, the ice was right behind me. "Go!" I screamed at Zuko, who was standing still with a look of horror on his face.

The ice cracked underneath of my boots, and I jumped backwards, doing my best not to land in the water. The ice beneath me gave way immediately, and a loud gasp escaped my lips. "Kiyah! Go left! Left!" Zuko yelled from many feet away. I jumped again, to another patch of floating ice, and shrieked slightly when it broke into two pieces, causing me to start slowly drifting into a split. I fixed my eyes on a solid-looking slab of ice about 15 feet away, and began sprinting to my left as quickly and lightly as I could.

When I finally reached the large, thick slab of ice, I collapsed to my knees, out of breath. Zuko stood farther away now than he had been before, but with the same look on his face. "Hold on! I'm coming to get you!" he shouted, readying himself for the many jumps to come. "No!" I yelled back, glaring at the stupid Fire Nation Prince that stood before me. "What? Why not!" he demanded, glaring back at me. "You're just being difficult!" he shouted. "Only because you gave me a reason to be _Prince _Zuko!" I snarled, steam shooting slighty from my nostrils.

Even from slightly far away, I could see that Zuko's face had fallen. "I told you! I have a good reason for doing what I did back there!" he almost pleaded, a sorry look in his eyes. "Well, when you come up with your "good reason", let me know! I'll be right _here_!" I spat, turning my back on him. I heard him cursing to himself as I sat down and crossed my arms childishly.

For almost a half hour he tried to reason with me, but I ignored him. Anger was still burning through me from the day's events, and I was tired and cold. Once he had gone, I felt truly alone, even though I didn't want to be anywhere near him at the moment. Without Zuko yelling at me from across a frozen lake, other thoughts came to mind; How was I going to get out of this mess without freezing to death first? Was Aang going to be able to find his body? And lastly, why did my butt hurt so bad? Oh right, I was sitting on snow and ice. It was getting kind of cold...

**Zuko's P.O.V.**:

"I finally have you," I said to the unconscious, glowing monk that lay at my feet, his wrists and ankles tied. "But I can't get you home because of this stupid blizzard," I snarled, looking out of the cave's entrance. "There's always something...not that you would understand." I shook my head, growing slightly angry. "You're like my sister. Everything always came easy to her. She's a firebending prodigy, and everyone adores her." I spat at the thought of my younger sister. "My father says she was born lucky...he says I was lucky to be born." I glared out at the falling snow, hate in my heart._ "_I don't need luck though, I don't want it...I've always had to struggle and fight for everything...and that's made me strong. It's made me who I am."

I spoke that last sentence and realized that my nostrils were flared. I had always fought for everything, no matter what...And I was going to fight for Kiyah, no matter how much she resented me at the moment. After all, I did what I did in an attempt to protect her. If I had the Avatar, my father would accept me again. If my father accepted me again, I could ask anything of him. Kiyah's father was out to kill her, because she had embarrassed him for her whole life...

If I could ask my father to protect Kiyah, her father couldn't even touch her.

...But I could only do that with the Avatar. I needed the Avatar for two reasons: to regain my honor, and to protect the girl that made me whole: Kiyah Chung.

**You guys are the BEST! Thanks so much for reviewing, favoring, everything! Keep it up, you guys make me smile. Special thanks goes to darkdaysofsummer for her wonderful ideas and help. You're the best! Please review! -harronhermy**


	25. Chapter 25

"Kiyah!" a voice shouted from a short distance away. I turned quickly to see Appa coming toward me, with Sokka at the reins and both Yue and Katara behind him, waving frantically. I stood as fast as my numb feet and legs would let me as Appa flew closer to me and hovered above the icy water. He grunted and nuzzled my face with his cold, wet nose, letting me know that he had been worried about me. I smiled slightly and rubbed his large muzzle as Katara jumped from his saddle and onto the ice, pulling me into a tight hug.

"I'm so glad you're okay!" she shrieked once she let me go. "How did you make it through that storm!" she demanded. "In all honesty, I have no idea, Katara," I shivered, my teeth chattering. "Oh no, here. Let's get you under a blanket." she said in a motherly tone. I smiled and nodded gratefully, not sure how much longer I could have stood being so cold.

Sokka extended his arm out to me as Katara fished out a large, fur blanket from Appa's pouch. Once he pulled me onto the saddle, I curled up behind Yue, shivering violently. The Princess held out her gloved hand and took mine, comforting me without words. "Do you know where Aang is, Kiyah?" Sokka asked as he helped Katara back up onto Appa. "Yes! When the lake separated Zuko and I, he took Aang into that cave over there," I said through my chattering teeth, pointing to the small cave that was conveniently placed in the middle of nowhere. "Was Aang back into the physical world yet?" Katara questioned, a worried look on her pretty face. "No, not that I know of." I sighed, biting my lip.

"Yip-yip!" Sokka called to Appa, who was happy to stop hovering above the lake below us. Appa didn't have to be told to go toward the cave, it was obvious that he knew that Aang was in there. The cold wind whipped my face as Appa began picking up a little speed, and I buried my head into Katara's back for warmth.

Appa landed at the cave's entrance, and immediately started growling, presumably at Zuko, who emerged with a snarl on his face. I glared down at him as Katara and Sokka jumped from Appa's broad back and readied themselves for battle. I positioned myself protectively in front of Yue, just in case I needed to block any of Zuko's fire-blasts from hitting her.

"Ready for a rematch?" Zuko asked Katara, a horrible glare on his face. But by the looks of him, he wasn't up for it. Like me, he was weak, tired, and cold.

"Trust me Zuko, it's not going to be much of a match," spat Katara, throwing her hands out in front of her. As soon as Zuko began to charge her, she shot a stream of ice at him, knocking him off balance and into the cave's wall. Katara then encased him in a pillar of ice. With one wave of her arm, it rose; and with another, it fell, knocking him unconscious. As soon as it was safe, Sokka ran over to Aang and cut the rope that bound his wrists together.

"Man, this is some quality rope!" Sokka admired, holding it up to examine it further. "We need to get back to the oasis! The spirits are in trouble!" Aang cried, airbending himself up onto Appa. "Right," Sokka nodded, stuffing some of the rope into his pouch and walking toward Appa.

"Wait," I said, biting down on my lip. I couldn't leave Zuko in the cave alone; even though I was angry with him, I still cared for him. If I left him, he could freeze to death; and that was something that I didn't want. "What is it, Kiyah?" Aang asked, turning around to face me. I looked down to Zuko's unconscious body and back into Aang's face, a pained expression on my face. I couldn't ask Aang to bring Zuko along...not with everything that Zuko had done to him in the past.

Aang's eyes softened when he understood what I was feeling, and he turned to Sokka, who was climbing up onto Appa's saddle. "We can't just leave him here," he started, nodding toward Zuko. "Sure we can!" said Sokka enthusiastically, giving us all a big, cheesy grin. Even though I did smile slightly at Sokka's attempt to amuse us, I didn't agree with him. "No, we can't. If we leave him here, he'll die." Aang explained, looking back at Katara and Yue, who both looked unsure.

Sokka looked at Aang as if he were insane. "Yeah, that makes perfect sense, Aang. "Let's bring along the guy who's constantly trying to kill us!" he mocked, throwing his hands in the air. But when he caught sight of my face, he stopped and sighed. "I know it may seem weird for you guys to take him along...but no matter what he did to me earlier, I can't leave him here to die." I explained, giving Sokka a sad look. It didn't matter that Zuko had broken my heart, not when it was a life or death situation for him. I knew that the goodness in Sokka's heart would make him agree to bring Zuko along, even though he really didn't want to.

"Okay, okay." he sighed, looking back at Zuko. "Thanks Sokka," I smiled, grateful for his decision. He quickly smiled back, and motioned for Aang to help him lift Zuko's body. Once they'd tied him up, Aang airbended himself behind me, and with help from Sokka, dragged Zuko up onto Appa.

He lay on his side behind me, eyes closed. I couldn't help but look at him, even though there was a large lump in my throat when I did. His breathing was slow and steady as if he were sleeping, and he was shivering slightly from the cold. A small blanket that lay between Katara and I caught my eye, and I reached to pull it over Zuko's trembling shoulders.

Once the Northern Water Tribe came into view, I knew that I had to be ready for a fight. The largest of the Fire Navy ships was docked just outside of the city, and that ship had to have been Zhao's. Aang yelled at Appa to fly faster, and he dove as fast as he could toward the Spirit Oasis. Momo seemed to have the right idea; he'd seen us and jumped onto Zhao's head, temporarily blinding him and causing him to jump around like an idiot. I smirked slightly to myself, and ripped off the fur blanket, throwing it carelessly over Zuko's still unconscious form as we landed.

Zhao's men immediately swarmed us, and I was probably a little too eager to hit someone as I kicked a tall, skinny soldier square in the chin. Katara froze two soldiers in place as Sokka knocked another one over with his trusty boomerang. And that left the last one to me. He charged toward me with a look of dislike on his ugly face, and I dodged him easily. I snarled as I punched him repeatedly in the chest, and kicked out at him, fire coming from my feet. Once he was down, I turned on Zhao, who was holding a squirming bag with a dagger to it.

Not that I had noticed before the fight, but the moon and the sky were now glowing red. The Moon Spirit was in some deep trouble, and if Zhao hurt it, everything would be off balance. "Zhao! Don't!" called Aang, dropping his staff in surrender. Zhao's just glared at him and held the bag up slightly higher. "It is my destiny to destroy the Moon _and_ the Water Tribe!" he shouted, a disgusting smirk on his face. After everything that he had done to me, now he was going to destroy the Moon and an innocent group of people? No.

"Destroying the moon won't just hurt the Water Tribe," Aang explained, trying to reason with the wicked man that stood before us. "It will hurt everyone, including you! Without the moon, everything will fall out of balance. You have no idea what kind of chaos that would unleash on the entire world!" Aang shouted desperately. Iroh, who I hadn't seen standing off to the side, then agreed with Aang.

"General Iroh," Zhao began in a bored voice, turning his back on everyone but him, "why am I not surprised to discover your treachery?" he asked, examining his fingernails. Iroh was anything but a traitor! He was a good man. "He's not a traitor!" I shouted at Zhao's back, balling up my fists in front of me. He turned toward me with a smirk on his face, and raised his eyebrow. "You're just too stupid to realize that this will affect you too! We _all_ need the moon, we _all_ depend on the balance!" I screamed. My hate for Zhao burned through my very veins. He still stood there, his long knife pointed to the squirming bag.

"Whatever you do to that spirit, I'll unleash on you ten-fold! LET IT GO!" Iroh thundered. I'd never seen him that angry in the time that I'd known him, and it kind of scared me. Iroh's angry eyes locked with Zhao's, and the he faltered, lowering the bag. He released the fish back into the pond, and it began swimming in the eternal circle with the Ocean Spirit. The red light of the moon vanished at last, and it was replaced by the beautiful glowing white that it normally was. I kept my eye on Zhao, whose emotions were quickly changing. His face changed immediately to madness and desperation, and he lashed out at the pond, sending a blast of fire into it. I gasped as I looked up into the sky and saw that the moon was there no more. The Moon Spirit was dead.


	26. Chapter 26

Princess Yue turned to me with tears in her pretty blue eyes. "There's no hope now. It's all over." she whispered sadly, a tear falling down her cheek. I sank to my knees in shock, my eyes wide and confused. The moon was gone now…did that mean that Princess Yue would die? I hoped not. I looked over to Aang, who was wearing an angry expression and now had glowing eyes. "No." he said in a much deeper voice than normal, "it's not."

I stood quickly when Aang started to walk toward the pond that held the dead Moon Spirit. The Ocean Spirit still swam frantically around it, as if he knew that his companion was dead. Katara made to follow him, but Iroh threw out one of his arms, causing her to stop.

Aang stood in the middle of the pond as if in prayer, and tilted his head down to the Ocean Spirit, whose eyes and tiny spine began to glow. The pond, the Ocean Spirit, and Aang were all glowing brightly, and then, out of nowhere, Aang seemed to be sucked under the pond as if it was bottomless. Katara and I both gasped, and she ran toward the pond to look down.

As she peeked over the edge of the pond, it was as if hundreds of vein-like shapes were moving through the ground. They too, were glowing the same color that Aang was, and we knew he was in doing his best to help.

"The Fire Prince! He's gone!" Yue yelled after I'd decided that I should go into the city to help. "Wait." I said, turning around to face Appa. "What?" I asked, an eyebrow cocked. "He's escaped!" Sokka shouted in surprise. I looked around for a moment, and then I saw the rope that he had been bound with had been cut. I wondered if Zuko would be fighting on our side or the Fire Nation's, and I hoped with all of my heart that he wouldn't turn his back on his Uncle Iroh like he had turned it on me.

Iroh walked up to me and took my small hand in his large ones. "You be careful, Kiyah Chung. Zhao is still out there, and he's still a vicious bastard." he said with some venom in his voice. "Remember everything that I've taught you so far." And with his words, I nodded and ran out of the oasis.

**Zuko's P.O.V**:

I sprinted quickly and lightly through the city, looking for Zhao. Not only had he tried to have me killed, murdered the Moon Spirit, and disgraced my Uncle Iroh, but he had hurt Kiyah. He had taken her innocence away from her…and that was something that couldn't be given back to her.

**Author's Note**: I am SO sorry that this is extremely short. I have writer's block like a mofo, and it's really affecting this story. I want to continue (and I will) as soon as possible, but I just don't know how to write what I want to put down without it being boring! Darkdaysofsummer, your help is needed, lol. Anyone else that has an idea, you're welcome to review it or something. I need all the help that I can get right now!


	27. Chapter 27

**Author's Note**: CURSE YOU, **DARKDAYSOFSUMMER**! So, it's exactly 2:17 am, and I'm writing the next chapter to this fic because **darkdays** unintentionally gave me a guilt trip. Is it sad that I almost forgot what was happening in my own story? Yeaaaaah. Well guys, here you go. You better review to keep me motivated! Or I'll uh...I'll...sic Momo on you. He hates it when people don't review my stories, lmao. I love you all, thanks so much for the support.

**Kiyah's POV**

I ran through the city as fast as I could, the cold wind whipping at my face. There were screaming people everywhere, running with their families to the palace, away from all of the destruction outside. There were many men who ran past me, ready to go into battle to defend their home. But they weren't just defending their home; they were defending their people, their wives, their children, their friends. I hoped with all of my heart that this battle would end swifty – but I knew that couldn't happen unless I found Zhao. I needed to end this as soon as I could, and if Zuko failed, I was the only one that could do it. I _deserved_ to be the one to kill Zhao.

Zhao had abused me in more ways than one. He'd taken my innocence from me, and that was something that I would have nightmares about for the rest of my life. The look on his face when he did it...remembering that look made me want to vomit. Losing my innocence was something that I'd always imagined so much differently. And Zuko. Zhao tried to have Zuko killed. That wasn't something that I was going to deal with, because I just couldn't. No matter what Zuko felt for me, which was apparently nothing – I cared a great deal for him. Nobody would hurt the people that I cared about without facing the consequences.

I kept running, as fast as my legs would take me, looking for a sign – _something_ to go on. I had to find Zhao before it was too late for the people of the city. But then I remembered...it was too late already. The moon was gone. The red sky overhead would be a constant reminder of that in the years to come. I would miss the moon and the joy it often brought me.

My lungs felt like they were made of ice. I'd been sucking down as much of the cold air around me as I could as I ran, and it was starting to take a toll on me. I skidded to a stop on the walkway and stood still – forcing steam to come from within me, and out of my mouth and nose. That would make everything feel better for the moment.

And then I heard it.

"You tried to have me killed!" snarled Zuko from somewhere overhead. I snapped my head around, frantically looking for the source of his voice. Light. From fire, no doubt. On a large ice bridge to my left. I ran even harder than before, trying to find a way up onto the bridge. "You freed the Avatar, traitor!" shouted Zhao. "I had no _choice_!" Zuko spat, obviously getting more and more pissed by the second.

I didn't have enough time to get to the stairs to the bridge, so I began climbing up as fast as I could when I saw more orange light from their bending. I felt like Momo as I maneuvered myself up the side of the bridge the best that I could with my gloved hands. My feet just dangled uselessly below me.

"You should have chosen to accept your failure! You are a disgrace! Then maybe I could let you live!" shouted Zhao, who sounded amused at Zuko's anger. My heart froze in my chest. Zhao was going to kill Zuko if he could. _No._ I would die before I would allow Zhao to harm Zuko. I pulled myself up with all of my strength, and poked my head over the side of the bridge to see Zhao holding a smoking cloak. He and Zuko were standing merely yards apart, and Zuko was about to run right into Zhao's trap. The more Zhao taunted Zuko, the angrier Zuko would get. Until finally, Zuko would attack with rage instead of reason – and that would kill him as surely as Zhao.

"ZUKO!" I screamed, throwing myself up onto the icy ledge of the bridge. I got to my feet quickly and readied myself for a fight. I wouldn't let Zhao kill Zuko. I wouldn't let Zhao ruin the lives of more innocent people. I was going to fight for what I believed in – and the boy that I loved. Yes, I love Zuko. He may not feel the same, but there is no denying how I feel anymore. That's why I was fighting so hard for him.

"Kiyah, get back!" he yelled, his amber eyes still focused on Zhao, who simply howled in laughter. "Ah, Miss Chung!" he chuckled, not turning his back to face me. "Have you come to watch me give this _traitor_ what he deserves?" Zhao asked this so simply, as if it were an every day conversation. "No. I haven't. I've come to make sure _you_ get what _you_ deserve." I snarled, balling my fists up. "Get the hell back, Kiyah. I mean it!" Zuko yelled again, ordering me around like he would his crew members. "Shut the fuck up, Zuko!" I screamed, rage boiling inside of me like a volcano.

Zuko's mouth gaped open slightly, as if he were hurt by my words, but he quickly closed it again as Zhao continued to laugh manically. "That's what I love about her!" he yelled to Zuko. "She gets so angry, so easily! I like for women to bite me when I'm with them in the bedroom!" he laughed. I felt to urge to vomit again as I remembered the night that I had so unwillingly shared with Zhao.

But that was all that Zhao had to say to set Zuko off. "YOU'LL NEVER HAVE HER!" he screeched as he ran toward the older man. They fought only for a brief moment, when something extraordinary happened: the red in the sky vanished, and was replaced with the dark blue that was usually there. I looked up; the moon was back.


	28. Chapter 28

**Author's Note**: OMG, THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH. You've been so loyal to me by reading and reviewing. I have a total of 103 reviews, and I have to thank every single one of you for them. It means so much that you like what I write so much, and I pinky promise that I'll try to write more often than I have. December in Kentucky means snow days, which means that I'll have more free time! I love every single one of you, and I'd like to specially thank **darkdaysofsummer** for her constant support of this fanfic. She's been super to work with, and she's had a billion great ideas. So when you see stars (**) at the end of a paragraph, that means that it's a brilliant idea of hers, or one of hers mixed with mine! If you're a Zutara fan, you'll LOVE her fic, _Monster to Man_. It's very well written, and I know that it's going to turn out super. I love every single one of you guys, thanks so much for reviewing my fanfic. More coming your way!

**Zuko's POV**:

I watched in horror as Kiyah and Zhao fought as hard as they could against one another. After the moon had appeared in the sky once again – Kiyah had regained hope, and therefore she was fighting for something again. She pushed me roughly to the side, and shouted at me to "stay the fuck back", and declared that Zhao was hers. And so I watched as she gracefully danced out of Zhao's reach time and time again, avoiding his fireblasts on her way. I wanted to fight with her – to kill Zhao for what he'd done to her – but this was her fight. If anyone deserved to kill the horrible man that fought only feet from me, it was Kiyah.

"Missed me!" she taunted, landing in a half-split and out of Zhao's clutches once again. He growled and made a grab for her hair, which he missed as she did a small cartwheel away from him. She landed easily and gracefully, sprinting away from him and shooting fire out of her tiny hands and into his armor. "You're gonna have to be faster than that, asshole!" Kiyah teased, her eyes fixed on the man running toward her at full speed. I enjoyed watching Kiyah turn Zhao into an anger-crazed madman without a brain, but I also worried for her. He _was_ much larger than she was, and any wrong move on her part could lead to something horrible.

Zhao yelled in rage and shot more and more fire blasts at her. I gasped as I watched her disappear behind smoke, readying myself to fight. Zhao simply stood there, the smoke cleared a few moments later – I saw what I'd been dreading. Kiyah was hanging from the ice bridge by her hands. Zhao's fire had melted the bridge under her feet away, causing her to drop.

"Now who's the slow one!" Zhao screamed, walking quickly over to where Kiyah was dangling. "You touch her, you die!" I threatened, assuming a fighting stance. Zhao turned to look at me and laughed his low, cruel laugh. He pulled a serrated dagger from his belt and pulled Kiyah up by her hair. "Threats? When your little girlfriend is in a situation like this?" he asked cruelly as Kiyah whimpered and struggled against his vice grip. My eyes widened and my heart dropped into my stomach.

"Zuko! Kill him!" Kiyah shouted through painful squeals. "Quiet, whore!" Zhao yelled, throwing Kiyah down onto the ice at his feet. A small _ow!_ escaped her lips as she slid on the ice for a few inches on her back. Kiyah made to quickly get up, but was forced back down by Zhao's large boot on her chest. "One day, Miss Chung, you'll learn some manners." he smiled. And then he plunged the dagger into her chest. And when I heard her start to splutter, I died inside completely. **

I screamed and launched myself at Kiyah, sinking to my knees and pulling her into my lap. Nothing else mattered in the world. Not one person, just Kiyah. "Z-uko." she choked, blood coming from her gaping mouth. "I'm here, sweetheart, I'm here." I whispered, stroking her soft auburn hair. My hands shook as panic overtook me. She was going to die if I didn't do something. "Sweetheart"? What a horrible pet name." Zhao taunted as he looked at the two of us in satisfaction. "Burn in _hell_." I spat, moving as little as I could to inspect Kiyah's wound. I ripped her jacket and blouse with my hands, exposing her whole chest. "Nice, aren't they?" asked Zhao casually, as if her were talking to a close friend. I screamed in complete rage, shooting fire at him with my free hand. He went stumbling to the side of the bridge, and out of _nowhere_, a giant, glowing hand of water grabbed him. I thanked the Ocean Spirit silently as it pulled him down into the water to what I hoped was his death.

"I lo – I love you." Kiyah choked, blood running out of her mouth as she spoke. My whole body seemed to be warm again as those three words came from her perfect lips. "I love you too, Kiyah. I'm going to make you better. I swear." I winced as she choked once more, causing her chest to rapidly rise and fall again. I had to pull the dagger out of her chest to stop the bleeding, or she would die. I couldn't live with myself if anything happened to the girl that I loved.

"I'm sorry." I said quickly, as I pulled the long dagger from her chest. She screamed and gurgled, her eyes rolling into the back of her head. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" I screamed in desperation, tears stinging my cold cheeks. She coughed and sputtered again as she cried in loud, long moans. I threw the bloody dagger down with a soft _clank_ and ripped some red material from my clothes to put pressure on her wound, which was now bleeding profusely. "Don't you leave me, Kiyah!" I yelled as her coughing and choking began to subside. Her eyes snapped open again, and she looked at me with a pleading expression that broke my heart into a million pieces. And then her eyes began rolling again, as if death were creeping upon her more quickly.

"HELP! SOMEBODY HELP ME!" I pleaded into the cold, still air. I didn't care if my rescuer was friend or foe, enemy or ally – I just wanted Kiyah to live. I put pressure on her wound, causing her to scream again, and more tears to run down my face. The only way to keep her alive was to cause her pain, and as much as it hurt me to hear her blood-curdling screams and her pleas for me to kill her, I did it.


	29. Chapter 29

**Author's Note**: THANKS, GUYS! I got a LOT of hits and 6 reviews on the last chapter. It excites me so much to wake up and look at my phone to see e-mails from , showing me that you guys have reviewed, favorited, and added me to your watch. I REALLY hope you enjoy this chapter, and I'll keep updating! Oh yeah, when **darkdaysofsummer** has given me and idea that I haven't messed with, there will be one star (*). When we've both come up with an idea, there will be two stars (**) at the end of a paragraph or something. If I forget to add them, please keep in mind that **darkdaysofsummer**__HAS helped me get motivated enough to start writing again, and she's contributed many ideas to the fic. I love you guys!

**Zuko's POV**:

I shook Kiyah firmly. "Stay with me." I ordered her. Her eyes popped open for an instant, but she was losing so much blood so quickly, I didn't know what I was going to do. What a gruesome sight the two of us made – bloody lovers. My hands and torso were covered in Kiyah's fresh, red blood – it dripped from my fingertips.

Once again, Kiyah's eyes began to slowly close as she spluttered. "NO." I shouted into her face as if I were scolding a small dog. "You're not going to leave me, Kiyah! I love you too much to let you go! I've worked too hard!" I cried, adjusting her weight in my lap. She looked up at me with pleading eyes, causing me to only cry harder. "Don't leave me," I begged, burying my head into her chest. My cheek was now warm with her blood and my tears. Soldiers didn't cry. I couldn't be crying. I shouldn't be crying. But I was.

"ZUKO!" a voice yelled. I sat up quickly and snapped my head around to see the one and only Avatar and his peasant friends from the Water Tribe. I was relieved that someone was going to help me...or were they angry at her for coming after me? "What did you do to her!" the brown-headed girl demanded, tears flowing down her tanned face. "I didn't do ANYTHING!" I shouted, angry that she would accuse me of such a thing. The Avatar and the Water Tribe boy only stood with looks of horror on their faces. And then snow began to fall lightly.

"What the hell are you waiting for!" I snapped at them, all standing there like idiots. "Help me!" I shouted. I looked down at Kiyah, whose eyes were rolling into the back of her head again. She coughed once, sending blood all over my hands. The girl moved quickly and quietly to my side, her eyes still filled with tears. She looked how I felt, minus the blood.

"Kiyah?" she whispered gently, touching her bloody face. Kiyah wheezed and looked up into the girl's face, pain in her emerald eyes. "I'm going to bend the blood out of your throat," she whimpered, as if it hurt her to see Kiyah in this state. And then she did what she explained. Kiyah's mouth opened against her will and blood came out of her mouth in small streams. The Water Tribe girl threw the blood to the side as if it were a poisonous spider as Kiyah gagged. "Can you speak?" I asked, hopeful. "I need – a healer." she choked out, attempting to move her hands over her wound. But she was too weak.

The Water Tribe boy made a muffled sound and I looked as he covered his face with a gloved hand, turning away to cry. The Avatar even had tears in his eyes. Did my girlfriend really mean this much to these people? "We need to carry her to the castle, the Chief will know what to do." the Avatar whispered, picking up a sad-looking lemur. The lemur was chattering away in protest, and jumped from his shoulders to run over to Kiyah, who was still barely conscious. It nuzzled her face sadly.

Within minutes, we were at the castle, and in a healer's ward. Kiyah was screaming bloody murder, and it pained me so much to see her like that. The healer had already cleaned up her wound, and was now attempting to sew it closed, which wasn't working out for him. The waterbender undressed and redressed Kiyah once the healer was finished, and even offered to clean the blood from her body.

And then Kiyah and I were alone. She was put in a small room off the healer's ward for special patients, which I _demanded_. I didn't want those stupid soldiers looking at her when they were all healed up. The room had a small bed, the mattress made of straw and the pillows made of feathers. There was a small fireplace in the room, and an end table. Kiyah was sleeping now, and I sat at her bedside in a wooden chair, exhausted but afraid to sleep. I had no intentions of letting death take her in her sleep.

The healer, who was a complete ass, said that she may not make it through the night because of her blood loss. But I believed in her, and so did the Avatar, the waterbender, and the seemingly upset Water Tribe boy.

Kiyah's chest was under heavy gauze, and she still bled slightly. I watched and counted the times that her chest rose and fell, and moved to kiss her hand. She was so precious to me. She made my whole life better, from that night that she stayed with me on the deck of my old ship.

"I love you," I whispered to her, kissing her lips and brushing some hair from her eyes.


	30. Chapter 30

**Author's Note:** Big Chapter 30! Looks like it's time for me to make a long one, huh? Only because I love you guys bunches, and you've been reviewing and giving me such joy! I'm SO happy that you love this story so much. **XXAbusedTamponXx** actually raised a question that I'm sure a lot of you have been wondering – "Is harronhermy going to stop at the end of Season 1 of the show?" – the answer is, NO. I'm going to continue writing until the end of the whole series AND follow the story line, because I want you to see what happens to everyone. By the way, I tried to message everyone back that reviewed like I always do, but I got confused because of gmail. If I forgot you, I am SO sorry. **/**

REMEMBER, when **darkdaysofsummer** has given me and idea that I haven't messed with, there will be one star (*). When we've both come up with an idea, there will be two stars (**) at the end of a paragraph. If I forget to add them, please keep in mind that **darkdaysofsummer **HAS helped me get motivated enough to start writing again, and she's contributed many ideas to the fic and she is _awesome – _check out her fics here: .net/u/3131252/darkdaysofsummer . Thank you ALL so much, you're all amazing.

**The Healer's POV:**

He made me sick. Why couldn't I have kept the love of my life like him? How did I know that he loved her? The sickening way in which he looked at her. It had been two days since he had run into my quarters, carrying that bloody, sad-looking excuse for a teenage girl. She was very drained of blood, but I took care of her when I forced a potion down her screaming throat, causing her to choke. The potion was made to restore the blood of soldiers through sleep, but I had no choice but to use some of it on the girl. The boy demanded that she be put into a private room, just off the ward.

I hated watching the two of them. Even though she had been unconscious since I'd taken care of her wounds, he stayed at her side day and night. He hardly ate, and I'd only seen him sleep once – and he'd fallen asleep holding her lifeless hand. His Uncle, a former General of the Fire Nation, slept in another private quarters, next to the girl's. He also stayed in the girl's room for long amounts of time, and no doubt had a connection to her.

Three other children had come to _my_ door and insisted upon seeing "Kiyah". I supposed that "Kiyah" was the girl's name. I slammed the door in their faces and stalked off to my office. Why did one girl have it so lucky? Why was _she_ so cared about, when I – Hezi Kang – had no one. Ever since my wife had died those five years ago, I had been alone. At age 26, that was a horrible feeling.

The boy with the scar treated _Kiyah_ like royalty. When she would cry out in her sleep from the pain of the potion healing her wound, he would lay in the small bed with her, whispering and stroking her hair. When she would weep for brief moments, he dried her tears and kissed them away, even though she was never conscious enough to know it. Once, he even brushed her pretty, auburn hair while she was sleeping peacefully, careful not to tug or pull it on accident. I watched him with her, as there was nothing but a mere curtain in front of the door, and it was only closed at night.

It wasn't _fair_ that the boy could be with _Kiyah_, and I could no longer be at my wife's side. She died during a Fire Nation attack when we had lived in another place. I hated the Fire Nation more than anything, they all needed to die. I only permitted the Fire Nation boy and the General to stay on the Chief's orders. Why did he order this? Because _Kiyah_ had helped save the village. Stupid girl, bringing back bad memories. She even _looked _slightly like my wife had.

I would come up with a plan, and a damn good one. I would hurt them, break them apart, just like my wife and I had been broken apart. And death seemed to do it for us. The Fire Nation needed to suffer, and why wait when there were three Fire Nation citizens sitting only feet from my office?

**One Day Later – Healer's POV**:

I checked the pale girl's pulse as she slept. Perfect, considering the potion that I'd given her. The General and the boy with the scar had gone to have a bath across the hall, and now, my plan was coming together. I would give the girl a potion to slow down everything – her breathing, her pulse – almost like she was dead. But this potion wouldn't kill her, for I could never kill a woman. I tilted her head up slightly and opened her mouth, forcing the green liquid down her throat. She swallowed and it started working almost instantly. Her chest stopped rising and falling, and her pulse deadened. She appeared dead now. I smiled to myself and stowed the bottle back inside of my belt, covering her deeply sleeping body with a large, cotton sheet. I would break the news to the boy and the General when they returned.

I drew the curtain to her room as I left, and prepared myself for what I was going to say. **

**Zuko's POV:**

She was gone. Kiyah was gone. Tears flowed freely from my face as I sank to my knees at her bedside, wailing at the top of my lungs. I didn't care that there were two other men in the room – I didn't care that I was making a complete fool of myself – I cried as hard as I could. I loved her more than anything, and now she was gone forever. The Healer didn't do his fucking job the right way, or she would have lived.

And so I turned on him. "You!" I shouted, pointing a finger at the man responsible for Kiyah's death. "This is your fault!" I stood, ready to kill the man that had taken my love away from me. "YOUR FAULT!" I screamed, jumping at him and knocking him to the ground. I sat on top of him and punched as hard as I could at his face. The coward tried to shield himself with his hands, but failed miserably as I broke his nose with a sickening _CRACK_.

"ZUKO!" My Uncle Iroh yelled, pulling me from the cowardly man laying on the floor. Tears began to flow from my eyes again as I looked back at Kiyah's body. Through my tears, I could have sworn to the Ancestors that I saw her chest rise and fall one more time – but I was seeing things. I knew it.

I walked, weak-kneed to Kiyah's bedside, and lifted her blankets. She looked peaceful, as if she were dreaming. And then I began to cry harder. I fell to my knees once more, my arms over her body as if I were protecting her from Death himself. I longed to see her beautiful emerald eyes open once more, to see her smile. Her laugh echoed in my head like a silver bell. "I love you, Kiyah." I whispered, kissing her lips like I had done only nights before. "I'll never love another." I promised.

**Hours Later** – **Zuko's POV:**

She was buried at the base of a frosty mountain now. I couldn't watch her body being laid to rest, it was too painful to see her go. Many people from the village were there, giving their thanks to her for saving their friends and families. I would have given all of those people's lives to save hers. The Avatar, and the girl and boy from the Water Tribe were there, too, all crying. Even the Avatar's bison let out a long, pained wail – making my eyes tear once more. He was letting the world know that he was in pain, which is what I wanted to do. **

I laid the most beautiful flower that I could find at the base of her grave, and kissed the ground where she now rested.


	31. Chapter 31

**Author's Note: Hey guys! I hope you all had an amazing Christmas and a Happy New Year! I made a New Year's resolution to write more for you guys, and to lose some weight. Encouragement needed! Haha. So, here's chapter 31 guys. I really hope you enjoy it, and I'm sorry it took me so long!**

**Kiyah's POV – One Week Later****:**

I slowly opened my eyes, blinking constantly. I felt very well rested, but my chest and abdomen were slightly sore. I looked around the room that I was in – it was small, with a wooden bedside table that held a white jug and a neatly folded rag, a small fireplace, – and there was an empty chair sitting next to my bed. My heart fluttered about in my chest: I wanted to see Zuko, and I wanted to see my friends. But where were they? Where was I?

I stretched out my arms and legs, groaning involuntarily, and sat up slowly. A small amount of sunlight was peeking through the cloth curtains that covered the window to my right, and I had to squint as I looked at it. For a little bit of sunlight, there was a lot of pain for my eyes. But then I remembered – pain. Searing, agonizing pain. Pain caused by a flash of white light – a dagger. I looked down at my chest, which was covered by a white, buttoned cloth dress, and began to undo the small buttons – my fingers slipping slightly. Once I finished, I began unwrapping the soft, clean gauze. It was surprisingly tiring, but when I was finally finished, I looked directly down, past my pointed breasts, to see the scar.

Not only had Zhao scarred me mentally, but now he had scarred me physically as well. I threw the gauze into the floor angrily, and I felt tears threatening to fall. But I couldn't lose it now, I had more important things to worry about – like where Zuko, Aang, Katara, and Sokka were. I wiped my eyes with the sheets and swung my legs over the bed, touching my bare feet to the floor. After re buttoning my dress, I stood up, stumbling as soon as I tried to take a step. I cried out slightly and grabbed onto the end table, knocking the glass jug to the floor. "Shit." I muttered under my breath, rolling my eyes at myself. Why me?

As I dropped to my knees to try and scoop up the mess, I heard someone at the door, directly in front of me. I looked up to see a man of no more than thirty, looking at me with disgust. I stood back up, never looking away from him. Why did he look so angry with me? I didn't think that the jug was _that _valuble.

"Can I help you?" I asked, scowling back at the man. He only furrowed his brow at me, and then his expression softened and he sighed. "Where am I?" I asked, confused at the man's body language. He surprisingly answered immediately with, "You are in the Healer's Ward, in the Northern Water Tribe's Palace." he said simply, looking at his feet. "Why are you acting like you just stole a doll from a little girl?" I asked suspiciously, growing angry.

"I have done far worse than that," he replied, his head still hanging. "Okay, so what did you do?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "I – I have done what needed to be done." he said. "Which is?" I asked impatiently. He finally looked up at me, his eyes full of hate. "The Fire Nation took my wife from me!" he screamed. I jumped at the volume of his voice, and I was becoming more and more confused by the second.

"What the hell are you talking about!" I yelled back, showing him that I would _not_ be toyed with. "You! You and that – that scar face were so _perfect_ together, so seemingly happy!" he shouted. I shook my head in annoyance. "I swear, if you've done anything to Zuko -" I started my threat, but never got to finish it, for the man told on himself. "I didn't _do_ anything to "_Zuko_"!" he mocked me in a higher voice, which really pissed me off. I felt heat rising inside of me, in my very chest. "What did you do!" I demanded, fire showing itself around my hands. Fear was showing itself in the man's eyes now. "Tell me!" I shouted, raising a hand threateningly. "Okay, okay!" he shouted back to me, cowering in place. I smiled to myself in satisfaction. Then he began to explain...

"YOU WHAT!" I screeched, running after the coward of a man with my fists raised, fire at the ready. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" he shouted over and over again, as I chased him out of my room and into his office. Many wounded soldiers were cheering me on in the background. I finally cornered the Healer, who was attempting to use a wooden chair as a shield. I sent a ball of fire toward the chair, immediately catching it on fire. He cried out and dropped it as I walked slowly toward him, so much anger built up inside of me. And then I shoved him as hard as I could through the open window and into the bushes no more than 3 feet below, grumbling to myself as I pulled on a pair of boots that sat in the corner.


	32. Chapter 32

**Author's Note:** Thanks so much for your support, **darkdaysofsummer**, for without you, I wouldn't have gotten my ass back into writing this fic. To everyone else who has reviewed, faved, or even read, THANK YOU. I love you guys, you know that? Please let me know what you think about this chapter, and thank **darkdaysofsummer** for helping me out! Love you, girl!

_**REMEMBER**, when **darkdaysofsummer** has given me and idea that I haven't messed with, there will be one star (*). When we've both come up with an idea, there will be two stars (**) at the end of a paragraph. If I forget to add them, please keep in mind that **darkdaysofsummer **HAS helped me get motivated enough to start writing again, and she's contributed many ideas to the fic and she is awesome – check out her fics here:** fanfiction . net/u/3131252/darkdaysofsummer** . Thank you ALL so much, you're all amazing. _

**Zuko's POV:**

I waved my hand for the second time in ten minutes, motioning for the barkeep to bring me another glass of ale. I sat inside of a filthy Earth Kingdom tavern by myself; I wanted to be alone. Without Kiyah, I _was_ alone, despite what my Uncle Iroh kept telling me. I missed her more than anything in the world, every second of every day. It had been two weeks without her already, and it felt like an eternity. There wasn't any time that went by that I wasn't thinking of a way that I could have saved her. I would have given my own life in place of hers, but then she would be in the same state as me, and I couldn't stand watching her like this, either.

I could see her now: sitting in the corner of the room, all alone like I was – gulping down wine just as I was gulping down my ale – tears rolling down her cheeks, just like they often threatened to roll down mine. Like now, for instance. But I couldn't cry. Soldiers didn't cry...no matter what.

I drained my glass once more to stop the tears, and shook my head once. Kiyah wouldn't approve of my drinking like this, nor would my Uncle – but lucky for me, I'd convinced him that I was going for a long walk to clear my head. I may not have been walking, but I was certainly hoping to clear my head soon. I waved my hand for another glass of ale to be brought over. "Stronger, this time," I said quietly to the barmaid that was passing my lone table.

I wanted to forget. If Kiyah hadn't been the best thing that had ever happened to me, I would've wanted to forget her. If there weren't so many happy memories, so many passionate kisses, I wouldn't have cared. But I did, and that's all that I could really say. So what did I really want to forget? Forget that she was dead? Yes, that must have been it. I wanted to forget that I'd lost my first and only love, just like my Uncle Iroh had when Lu Ten was born. Why couldn't I have gotten something good, like a child, out of Kiyah's death?

Wait a second. Did I really just think that? I really would have had a child with Kiyah? But that would mean that we would have had to marry! I thought for a moment as I watched the old barmaid bring my ale over to me. She sat it down with a soft _clank_ of the glass, smiled sorrowfully at me, and turned on her heel to leave. Yes. I would have. Only because I loved her...I love her still.

Maybe a child would have taken some of the pain away. A little girl, I decided, was what I would have wanted. A little girl that looked exactly like Kiyah – from her beautiful, wide emerald eyes, to her wavy auburn hair. What I would give to hold her one more time – to kiss her soft, pink lips – to tangle my fingers in her hair as I did it. I bit back tears once more, draining the whole glass of ale in one large swig.

_One hour later..._

"More ale!" I ordered the bartender, slamming my fists down on the table. I was drunk, and everyone in the tavern knew it except for me. Well, I knew it, but I wasn't going to accept it. "I think you've had enough, sir." he said politely, a look of pity in his eyes. "You give me a-ale, or I'll burn this shit-hole down." I threatened, stumbling slightly. The bartender looked at me with wide, threatening eyes. "I don't think so, kid. I've worked my ass of for my whole life in this "shit-hole", and I'm not going to let you take it away from me and my family." he said simply, pulling a dagger from under the bar.

"Bring it, old man!" I shouted, motioning for him to come at me. He growled through his teeth and jumped over the bar at me, his dagger poised to strike. I kicked, rather sloppily, and knocked it out of his hand. There was a crowd gathered around, and I heard a "fuckin' ouch!" as the blade's hilt knocked a man in the head.

We fought for merely seconds, when I heard my name from the doorway. I looked over to see Kiyah, a disapproving look on her face. My heart dropped through my stomach and I smiled for the first time in a long time. She was back! But my moment of happiness got the best of me, and I allowed myself to be knocked down by the bartender. I simply laid there as Kiyah rushed forward through the crowd.

"Are you in relation to this young man, sir?" asked the bartender. Sir? Kiyah was obviously a girl. "Don't call her that, you filth!" I growled, trying to get up once more. But Kiyah held me down – she'd gotten a lot stronger. "Zuko!" she said, leaning over me. Her long, auburn hair hung over my face and I inhaled, taking in her scent of lavender and moon peaches. "I missed you so much, Kiyah." I cried, allowing tears to fall from my eyes.

"What are you talking about?" she said in my Uncle Iroh's voice. "Why are you talking like Uncle, Kiyah?" I asked simply, like a child would ask his mother. "I closed my eyes once, and began blinking furiously. Kiyah was gone, and only Uncle Iroh leaned over me. She was only a hallucination...


	33. Chapter 33

**Hey guys! Uh, all that I really know to say is that I'm sorry it's taken me so long to start writing this fic again. Thanks SO MUCH to all of you that have read, reviewed, and favorited this story – it means a lot to me that you're still supporting me after a YEAR. That's right, _An Ocean Sized Love_ was first published over a year ago. DUN DUN DUN. But seriously, thanks a lot to all of you, especially darkdaysofsummer, because without her, I would have quit a long time ago because of this shitty writer's block. Enjoy! :D**

**Zuko's POV:**

I sat to the side of my Uncle as he was massaged by two attendants in the bath house, my head hanging. After three weeks, _still_...all that I thought about was her. Her pale, lifeless face haunted my dreams, and every time that I caught the scent of lavender or moon peaches, I would look around excitedly – but deep down I knew that she was gone for good.

And on top of mourning the loss of my best friend, my love – today made three years since my father banished me from the Fire Nation...my home. My own _father_ gave me the ugly scar that stretched across my eye and cheek. My _father_ commanded that I leave my own home and only return if I had captured the Avatar. So many times I had been close, but he'd always slipped through my fingers. Trying to capture the Avatar was like trying to catch smoke with my bare hands.

A cherry blossom floated down onto my knee, and I picked it up, twirling it in my fingers as I examined it. And then I made fire in my fingers and watched as the beautiful blossom faded and shriveled into nothing – just like Kiyah had.

I growled to myself and threw the burned cherry blossom onto the stone floor of the bath house, cursing at myself for every little fucking thing that I did that reminded me of her. Not that I didn't already see her face enough in my dreams, or in the clouds, or even in the ripples in my bath water – I watched her bleed out almost every time I closed my eyes; I saw the horror in her emerald eyes – I saw her chest rapidly rising and falling as I held her on that bridge.

I hadn't noticed that I was even crying until a tear hit my hand. I wiped it away on my pants roughly, trying to remove all signs of my weakness.

**Kiyah's POV:**

"Who are you?" I demanded as I was thrown onto the deck of a large Fire Navy vessel.

"My name is Azula." the girl smiled a sickeningly sweet smile. I spat hair out of my mouth as I was rolled over onto my stomach and my skinny wrists were bound in chains. I aimed a kick at the guard that was trying to bound my ankles, but missed and winced in pain as he buckled the chains tightly around me with a metal lock.

"What do you want with me?" I asked angrily, pondering her name. Azula...Azula...where had I heard her name before? She merely cackled and rolled me back over onto my back, so that I was facing her again.

"What do I want with you?" she laughed, mocking me as I sat up, facing her.

"That's what I asked, isn't it?" I snarled, steam shooting from my nose as I grew more and more angry. She simply smirked even broader.

"Ooh, feisty aren't we?" she teased, examining her long nails.

"Cut the shit and answer my question." I glared at her, trying to intimidate her, but nothing I did seemed to work.

"Such horrible language from a Governor's daughter's pretty mouth." she mock gasped, bringing a hand to her red lips as if she were actually offended.

"How do you know I'm a Governor's daughter?" I asked, forgetting to look intimidating for the moment.

"Haven't you seen the wanted posters plastered _everywhere_?" she asked as if I were stupid.

"I've seen a few." I spat, remembering Zuko pulling down more than one of them when we were docked.

"Well, your father has offered a large sum of money for your capture –" Azula began, leaving me yearning for more.

"And when since Admiral Zhao failed so _miserably - _" she spat, "I thought that I may take him up on his offer." she smiled sweetly again, causing me to cringe. "Not that I don't already have enough money, what with being the Fire Lord's _daughter._" she gloated, and I gasped.

"You're Zuko's sister!" I almost yelled, causing her to smile wickedly.

"I wondered when you would figure it out." she said, clapping her hands slowly in congratulation. "Bravo." she mocked.

"Let me go, Azula!" I demanded, trying to wriggle my way out of the chains. But Azula simply laughed again and placed her foot on my chest, kicking me over onto my back, causing me to growl in fury. More steam shot from my nose and I rolled around to face her once more.

"Mmm," she pretended to ponder, tapping her fingernails on her chin. "I don't think I will. I think I'll leave you in the prisoner's hold at the very bottom of the ship until I get business with my dear Uncle and my lovely brother sorted out." she beamed at the horrified expression on my face.

"Don't hurt them! I'll kill you!" I threatened from her feet, more and more steam shooting from my nostrils as I struggled.

"You're in a very odd position to be making threats." Azula raised an eyebrow at my wriggling form.

"Let me go!" I shouted, still struggling to get to Azula.

"Guards! Take our new friend to her cell in the prisoner's quarters." Azula smirked. "I have the feeling that she'll be fun to tame."


	34. MAJOR NEWSAn Author's Note

Dearest readers,

I will be editing this story to make it a lot better. There will be no large changes, and I want to thank all of you for supporting me and reading OSL in the first place! Darkdaysofsummer will be helping me along the way, just as she has been for a long time now – and I'm more than grateful for her. She's an awesome writer, and if you're a Zutara fan, check out her work!

I'll post the new and improved first chapter as soon as I think it's fit to be seen, and I hope you'll love it! Please read and review, tell me what you like and what you don't like – tell me what I can improve on. It's very much appreciated!

Love,

harronhermy


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